Christmas Hunts and Hurts
by maxandkiz
Summary: John blames Sammy for a hunt gone wrong. After days of extra training and a blow up by John, Sammy leaves thinking he is no longer wanted. Dean- 16, Sammy- 12
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

**AN- This story is dedicated to Sammygirl1963 and Vonnie836. They are two of my best friends and biggest supporters. You girls have helped me so much the past year and I wanted to do something special for you. Merry Christmas my friends!!!**

Sammy Winchester carefully read over the tear stained letter in his hand making certain it was just right. Certain that he had said everything he needed to say he slid off his bed and shuffled over to Dean's. He gently set the note on his big brother's pillow where it was sure to be seen and then turned, grabbed his duffle, and hurried out of the room. Trudging down the hall he looked in each room he came to wanting to remember every part of this place; the last home he would ever have with his family. Making it to the front door Sam reached out a shaky hand and grabbed the doorknob before pausing for a moment. Glancing around at the room behind him he started to have second thoughts. Maybe he didn't need to leave after all; maybe he'd been mistaken. But then the morning's events came flooding back to crush him once more.

That morning

_Sammy slowly shuffled into the house behind his father with his head hung low. He'd done worse in training this morning than the past two days combined. He hadn't even been able to hit any of the targets his dad had set out and the only thing he had managed to do in sparring was set the record for most times knocked on his behind, not to mention most bruises in one session. And he didn't even want to think about the obstacle course or the running drills. He knew his dad was furious with him; had told him so in no uncertain terms out in the field and in the car but he knew that was just the beginning. His father always saved the worst for when they got home and it was just the two of them. _

_Not wanting to prolong the inevitable Sam quietly shut the door before hanging up his coat and hat and going into the kitchen to face his enraged father. Getting to the table he stood at attention and waited for the yelling to begin. He didn't have to wait long._

_John Winchester took another swig of his coffee as he glared at his youngest. The kid had done an awful job out there this morning. He didn't think he'd ever seen someone that uncoordinated and sloppy in his life. Even recruits on their first day of basic turned in a better performance than the boy in front of him had, and he'd been training for over two years now. Sometimes he wondered if the kid didn't do things like this just to spite him. He wouldn't put it past Sammy; he knew the boy was mad about not being allowed to see his brother the past few days. But he didn't deserve to visit Dean in the hospital, not when it was his fault his brother was there in the first place. John was not going to feel guilty about it and he didn't feel bad about all the extra training either. It was time Sammy learned to suck it up and get with the program before he got someone killed. No more coddling or excuses. And it needed to start right now. Slamming his mug down on the counter he smirked as the kid jumped. "Good, he's nervous" John thought as he rounded on his son._

_John stomped over to his youngest and leaned down getting right in the boy's face. "What the hell do you think you were doing out there, boy?" he growled. I've seen six year olds that were more coordinated than you! You were pathetic out there! If we'd been on a hunt, Dean and I would both be dead right now! God, you're worthless as a hunter! I can't believe you're mine!"_

"_Dad, I…"_

"_Save it! I don't wanna hear your excuses! You've always got some excuse or another for your screw-ups! Well it ends right now! Winchesters don't make excuses and they don't screw up hunts! You aren't a Winchester or a hunter!" John bellowed. "Now get outta my sight before I do something you'll regret!"_

"_I'm sorry sir" Sammy mumbled as he turned and walked dejectedly toward the doorway._

"_You should be" John fired back. "I'm going to the hospital to get MY son now, you know the one you almost got killed. Move your crap into my room while I'm gone. Dean and I will bunk together from now on. Oh, and make yourself scarce when we get back. I don't want my son to see your worthless hide when we get here." _

Wiping the tears from his eyes Sammy glanced around the room once more and then turned and walked out the door.

In the impala

Dean shifted in the passenger seat trying to find a position that didn't pull on the stitches across his chest. Being clawed by a Wendigo was definitely at the top on his list of things to never do again. Finally finding a comfortable spot he glanced over at his dad. The man had been pissed from the moment he stepped into the hospital room and that was never a good thing. Dean knew he should tread carefully; that his dad was as mean as a rattler and twice as deadly when he was in a foul mood. But after three days in a boring hospital room with no little brother for company Dean simply didn't care. Sammy hadn't been the only one punished by their dad's refusal to let him visit. Glaring out the windshield the teenager thought for a moment and then gruffly asked, "Where's Sammy? Why didn't he come with you?"

"I told you Dean. Sammy's being punished for getting you hurt." John huffed.

"And what am I being punished for?" Dean threw back as he turned his glare on his dad.

"Dean" John warned.

"No dad, I won't shut up!" Dean growled. "I sat in that crappy hospital room alone for three days while you had your little hissy fit and I've had it! You're going to listen to me this time! My getting hurt wasn't Sammy's fault!"

"Like Hell it wasn't! His gun jammed! You could have been killed because he didn't take care of his weapon!" John shouted.

"That wasn't his gun!" Dean yelled back. "That was yours! Sammy had never touched that gun before you put it in his hands that night, dad!"

"What?" John gasped. He didn't remember that. Actually he didn't recall much of anything about the hunt besides seeing the Wendigo attacking his eldest after Sam's gun jammed.

"He got his gun outta the trunk and you switched it with yours, remember?" Dean told his father. "You told him it was time he used a man's weapon."

John ran a hand across his face. "Oh God!" he whispered. "I've been…Shit, Dean! Why didn't you tell me three days ago?!"

"I tried but every time I mentioned Sammy or the hunt you cut me off; told me to keep my mouth shut that it was being dealt with." Dean grumbled. "And with all those meds in my system I didn't exactly have the strength to fight with you about it. Most of the time I could barely keep my eyes open."

"Hang on Dean." John instructed as he floored the accelerator. He needed to get home and see Sammy. He had a lot to make up to the boy for. He just hoped it wasn't too late.

The bus station

Sammy confidently walked up to the ticket counter. "Round trip ticket to Blue Earth, please." he stated laying out most of his snow shoveling money. He didn't plan on coming back but he knew a one way ticket wouldn't be very convincing.

The ticket attendant took one look at the scrawny little boy and frowned. Pushing the money back towards the boy she said, "Sorry son, you're too young to be buying a ticket by yourself."

Sammy gave the older woman his best puppy dog expression. "I'm not alone. My dad's right over there on the phone." He said pointing over to the row of pay phones where a man was staring their way. He was actually staring at the young lady behind him, but Sam wasn't about to tell the attendant that. "He got a page from the office and had to call them so he told me to buy the ticket."

"Your dad's sending you away on Christmas Eve?" the attendant skeptically said.

"He doesn't really want to, but its mom's year to have me for Christmas" Sammy told the woman smiling as she took his money back and handed him a ticket. "Thank you, ma'am. Merry Christmas!" Stuffing the ticket in his pocket he picked up the duffle at his feet and raced across the station. Making it to his bus with only a couple of minutes to spare he quickly handed his ticket to the driver and walked to the back of the bus. Taking a seat at the very back of the bus he set his duffle on the empty seat beside him and settled in for the long ride ahead. He just hoped Pastor Jim wouldn't be too disappointed in him when he got there.

Back at the house

"Sammy!" Dean called as he shuffled into the house. "Hey Sammy! Come on out! Big brother's here!" Getting no reply he glanced nervously over at his father.

"Go check the bedroom. He's probably just in there sulking." John said ignoring the pit in his stomach and the daddy sensors that were screaming at him that something was very wrong.

"K" Dean replied. Injuries forgotten he ran down the hall to their bedroom. Throwing open the door he hurried inside to find an empty room. Glancing around the spotless room he saw none of Sammy's school books or papers and only his own duffle sat on the floor by the wall. Dropping on the bed as the implications of what he was seeing sank in Dean angrily reached for his pillow quickly shifting his gaze when his hand hit paper instead of cloth. Looking down at his little brother's messy handwriting he quickly read the note growing more upset with each word. Leaping to his feet he raced out of the room and down the hall hollering for his father the whole time. Rounding the corner of the living room he ran right into his dad.

"Dean, what is it? What's wrong?" John questioned leading his breathless son to the couch.

"H-h-he's gone, da-dad! Sammy's, Sammy's gone!" Dean stammered.

AN- The last chapter will be up tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Umm, did I say two chapters? I meant three.(come on! You know you love all the angst!)

Previously on Supernatural- "H-h-he's gone, da-dad! Sammy's, Sammy's gone!" Dean stammered.

"What? What are you talking about Dean?!" John growled.

"SSSSammy ran away, dad. He, he, he left us!" Dean stuttered. Dropping onto the couch he turned away from his father to stare at the front door as if expecting his little brother to come bounding in any minute.

"You're wrong, Dean. Sammy wouldn't do that. He wouldn't…" John broke off midsentence eyes focusing on the crumpled notebook paper clutched in Dean's hands. He recognized the untidy scrawl of his youngest immediately. Sitting down beside his son the father carefully extracted the page from Dean's hands and started to read.

Dear Dean and dad,

The last few days have taught me a lot. I figured out what my place is in our family. I'm not a hunter or a sidekick. I'm not John's son or Dean's little brother. I'm not even the youngest Winchester. The only thing I am is a burden and a screw-up. And that's something I refuse to be. So I'm leaving. You guys can go back to your two man hunting club without having to worry about what to do with me. You'll be safer that way.

Dad

I know you're disgusted with me and I don't blame you. I've tried to be like Dean. God, I tried. But I just can't be him. I'm too slow and too clumsy; not a natural like you and Dean are. I think maybe you were right about me. That night I was born the nurses must have mixed up the babies and given your son to some quiet couple and stuck you with me. Maybe you'll find him one day and the three of you can be the perfect hunting family you've always wanted.

Dean

Dean, I'm sorry I got you hurt. I must have done something wrong. That gun would never have jammed if Dad had it. I'm sorry, too that you got stuck taking care of me all this time. You had to give up your whole life just to take care of my sorry a$$. You missed out on so much; playing with friends, parties, even hunts with dad all cause of me. I'm sorry you had to do that. But most of all I'm sorry I took your mom and your wonderful life away from you. If it wasn't for me, mom would still be alive and you and dad would be safe and happy.

I've got to go now. You guys will be back soon. I just want you to know that I love you Dean and daddy. And I'm sorry for everything. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm sure there's something that this worthless waste of space can do.

Sam

The paper fluttered to the floor as John's hands shook. Dropping his head he whispered, "Oh God Mary! What have I done?"

On the bus

Sam thoroughly scrutinized the people that slowly filed onto the bus alert for any threat. Besides himself, there was an elderly couple sitting toward the front with a bag full of presents, a long haired young man holding a guitar case, and an old raggedy man that kept talking to himself. Hearing the bus doors shut and feeling it start to back up Sammy reached over to his duffle to get his book. He had read Dickens's Christmas Carol before but his teacher Mr. Bentley had decided that it was the perfect winter break assignment. Feeling the bus stop suddenly he looked up as another group of passengers climbed aboard. His face fell as a young father and his two small boys hurriedly took a seat across from him. The younger of the two, who looked to be about six or seven, sat on his dad's lap while the other boy who was maybe three years older took the seat by the window. Watching the small family Sam couldn't help but remember happier times; times when his dad was just his dad, not his drill sergeant. Fighting back tears he turned back to his book and settled in for the long trip ahead. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on the past. He had a future to figure out.

Back in town

John tromped through the snow back to where the impala was haphazardly parked. Climbing in the warm interior he slammed the door. "Find anything, Dean?" he asked as he started the car and pulled back onto the road. "Where else did his friends say we could look?"

"Sammy hadn't made any friends yet, dad. We've only been here a week and a half." Dean huffed glaring at the older man.

"Dean, you're not helping." John growled tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "You wanna be pissed at me. Fine! But save it till we find your brother. Biting my head off isn't going to get us anywhere right now."

"I know" Dean admitted. "I'm just worried, alright. Sammy's been gone four hours now and we're no closing to finding him than when we started."

"Then we just keep looking. There must be somewhere we missed." John replied.

"Dad, we've been through this town with a fine tooth comb. We've checked all his usual hangouts." Dean pointed out keeping his attention on the town in front of him. "Everything's closed or about to close and nobody's seen…DAD! Stop the car! I know where he went!"

Blue Earth

Pastor Jim sat down in his beat up recliner and reverently placed his worn Bible in his lap. Opening it to the passage he intended to read for the service in a few hours he smiled. The midnight Christmas service was always his favorite service. Everyone was always smiling and joyous. It was almost as if all their troubles and problems were gone for that one moment in time. He just wished he could see those happy faces all year long. Seemed as soon as Christmas was over the sour dispositions and frowns magically reappeared along with all the world's problems and trials. Course if there were no more trials and tribulations then there would be no need for people like him. Shaking his head at that ridiculous notion he took a sip of his hot tea and leaned back in his chair to read the passage he knew by heart. He had just grasped the lever on the chair and started to recline when a soft knock sounded. Standing and heading to the door he snatched his silver knife off the mantle sticking it under his jacket. While it wasn't unheard of for visitors to come to his door at any hour of the day or night, Christmas Eve was always an extremely quiet day for him. Easing up to the door he peered out a side window before throwing the door open wide. "Samuel, I didn't hear your dad drive up." he said as he glanced around behind the boy, "I thought you three were on a case and couldn't come this year? And where are your father and brother? Are they parking the car or did they drop you off?"

"I, I, I c-c-came by my-myssself" Sammy stammered shivering as another ice cold breeze slammed into him.

Noticing the youngster's trembling Jim hurriedly stepped aside motioning for the boy to come in. He shut and locked the door behind them and then led Sam into the living room and to the fireplace. Pulling his old rocking chair over in front of the roaring fire the minister sat the shaking teenager down and helped him get out of his flimsy coat. Jim handed his mostly full mug of hot tea to him and raced out of the room returning seconds later with a fleece blanket that he tossed around the littlest Winchester's shoulders. Taking the towel from around his arm the pastor started drying Sam's hair. He waited until the shivering started to subside before questioning the boy. "Care to tell me what's going on, Sammy?" he asked. "What were you doing out in the cold by yourself and where are your father and brother?"

"I, I left them, Pastor Jim." Sammy hesitantly admitted. "I caught the bus to blue Earth and then walked to your house."

"You did what? Samuel Winchester, the bus station is three miles from my house! What on Earth did you think you were doing walking that far in the freezing cold with that flimsy little jacket on? I'll be surprised if you don't end up with a cold or worse." Pastor Jim sternly scolded. Dropping the wet towel on the floor he walked around in front of the boy and kneeled down. "What's going on son? Why are you here?"

Sammy glanced at his friend for a moment before dropping his gaze to the floor. "I left Dean and dad." He tearfully stated. "I had to. I've been a burden to them long enough and I won't…"

"Sammy, you're not a burden to your family." Jim broke in. "John and Dean love you very much. You're part of their family, not some obligation."

"No, no, I'm just a useless waste of space." Sam argued with a shake of his head. "Dad said. And he's right. I almost got Dean killed cause I was sloppy. I can't let that happen again."

Starting to get the big picture Pastor Jim mentally cursed John Winchester. The stupid old fool had been riding the boy for two years now and it looked like he'd finally broken the child. When he got his hands on that man, he'd…Stopping that very unchristian thought he turned back to the problem at hand. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Sammy, what does Dean say?"

"I don't know. Dad wouldn't let me see *yawn* him." Sam quietly replied.

Seeing the boy's eyes droop the good pastor decided to save the rest of the conversation for later. Standing he helped Sam to his feet and started back towards the stairs. "Okay Sammy, here's what we're going to do. You're going to go upstairs and get a nice hot shower and get into bed." He softly instructed. "And then tomorrow we'll call your dad and Dean and I'll send you…"

"No, please don't send me away, Pastor Jim!" Sammy cried. "I don't have anywhere else to go!"

"Sammy, Sammy son, it's okay. I'm not going to send you away." Jim assured the panicking boy.

"Promise?" Sam pleaded.

"I promise" Jim replied as he started up the stairs with the youngster in tow. "Now come on. Let's get you settled in."

Outside the bus station

Dean climbed into the impala slamming the door in frustration. "Dammit! I really thought we'd find him there!" he growled. "Or at least somebody who'd seen him."

"Don't worry, Dean. We'll find him. We always do." John assured his oldest. Taking in his son's pale complexion and hunched position he made a decision. "I think it's time we go home and regroup. Come back out in a few hours."

"Dad, we can't do that! Sammy's still out there somewhere!" Dean shouted.

"I know Dean. But we're not doing anything here but spinning our wheels. We've already looked everywhere we can think of." John reminded him leaving out the part about Dean needing to rest. "Besides, if he's been picked up by the police, we need to be by the phone. It's just for a couple of hours, Dean. That'll give us time to go over the city maps for spots we might have missed and call a few people."

"Okay" Dean grudgingly agreed. "But only for a couple of hours."

"Promise" John replied.

Weary and hurting Dean leaned against the passenger door and stared out at the frozen wonderland flying by. "Where are you little brother?" he whispered as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- A huge thank you to everyone reading this story. Between Christmas and problems at fanfiction, I haven't been able to reply to reviews yet but I will. You guys really keep me going.

Okay, I officially give up trying to figure out how many chapters this is going to be.

Previously on Supernatural- Weary and hurting Dean leaned against the passenger door and stared out at the frozen wonderland flying by. "Where are you little brother?" he whispered as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Pastor Jim walked back into the dimly lit guest room and smiled down at the sleeping boy. As exhausted as he was Sammy had managed to eat about half of the chicken noodle soup and drink most of the hot chocolate before drifting off into dreamland. Going over to the bed the minister picked up the metal Transformer's tray table and set it on the nightstand. Taking one end of the sheet he lovingly pulled it up to the littlest Winchester's chin. Repeating the action with the handmade quilt Jim brushed the boy's bangs out of his eyes and stood up. "Goodnight Sammy" he whispered. Reaching into his jacket pocket he took out the bottle of children's Tylenol and thermometer and set them on the nightstand knowing he'd probably need them before morning. He glanced down at the sleeping Winchester once more before picking up the tray table and silently shuffling to the door. He had a call to make.

A few hours away

John eyed Dean critically as they sat at the kitchen table with the city map spread between them. The pain lines around his son's eyes and mouth told him the teen was hurting. But the kid had refused all attempts to get him to rest. All John's suggestions and orders had fallen on deaf ears. Dean had even waved away the glass of soda his dad brought him; which meant the Winchester patriarch had wasted his time and two pain pills when he crushed and mixed them with the drink. He had to hand it to the kid though. Dean could out stubborn a mule when he was in 'solve Sammy's problem' mode. Really the only times he and Dean ever argued was because of Sammy. He should have listened to Dean in the hospital. The boy rarely protested John's punishments for himself or his brother. In fact the only times he spoke up was when John himself was in the wrong. He should have listened when Dean told him the gun jamming wasn't Sammy's fault. But he had been so scared and worried about Dean. He could have easily lost his oldest that night. And as always those emotions quickly morphed into anger which he then unleashed on the closest target available; Sammy. And now his youngest was gone without a trace and if John didn't find him, he had no doubt that he would lose his oldest as well. Hearing the phone he turned and strode toward the living room right behind Dean.

Dean raced across the living room and snatched up the receiver. "Sammy" he hollered into the phone.

"Dean, its Pastor Jim" Jim replied. "I'm calling to tell…"

"Oh" Dean interrupted. Handing the phone to his dad he simply stated, "Pastor Jim" before trudging back into the other room.

"Jim, I'm gonna have to call you back later. Sammy's missing." John told his friend.

"I know" Jim said as he sat back in his chair.

"Good, then you know I have to…" John stopped as the little light bulb finally went off. "Sammy's with you, isn't he?"

"Yes, he arrived a little while ago. Care to tell me what happened?" he asked fighting to keep his voice level.

"That's between me and my boy. Now put Sammy on the phone." John gruffly ordered.

"I most certainly will not." Pastor Jim ground out. "Samuel is upstairs asleep and I'm not about to wake him up to…"

"He's sleeping! It's not even eight o'clock yet!" John bellowed. "There's no reason for him to be in bed already! We didn't even get a full day's training in this morning! I had to cut it short to go pick up Dean! I've told that boy that he has to…"

"So help me John if your next words are 'suck it up', Bobby won't be the only one with a shotgun waiting for you." Pastor Jim warned. "I saw the bruises from your so called training. The poor boy's chest and back are nothing but one huge bruise! I've tried to tell you before that you're being too hard on Sammy. He's too young for the full contact sparring you've been doing."

"Now listen here! You don't…"

"No, you listen!" Jim shouted. "I don't know what happened to bring that boy to my doorstep. All I know is that I have a physically exhausted little boy upstairs who thinks he's a burden and that his family would be better off without him. And I'm not going to let anyone hurt him again, especially not you. Now you have a choice to make; you can either get your act together and treat Sammy with the love and respect he deserves or you can get out of his life for good. The choice is yours."

"You can't…" John stopped as a click sounded. 'The damn jacka$$ hung up on me!' he thought as he slammed the receiver down. Grabbing the coats off the rack by the door he stormed into the kitchen where Dean was busily circling the areas they had searched. "Let's go, Dean. Sammy's at Jim's." John ordered tossing the black leather jacket to his son. Turning he snatched his keys off the table and headed for the front door. Nobody kept his son away from him. Nobody.

Pastor Jim's house

Sammy awoke to a hand carding through his hair. "De'n?" he sleepily called out.

"Sorry runt, Dean's not here." Caleb replied grinning down at the boy. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

"What are you doing here?" Sammy asked. Struggling out of the covers he sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Where's Pastor Jim?"

"Relax short stuff. I always spend Christmas with P.J., remember?" the older boy said. "And Jim's just downstairs. He's getting ready to leave for the midnight service. He told me to stay with you till he gets back."

"No" Sammy adamantly stated shaking his head. "No, I won't be a burden to you guys, too. You don't have to stay. I can take care of myself."

"Shhh, Sammy. Don't say that too loud, P.J. will hear you." Caleb shushed with a finger on his lips. "And you're not being a burden, dude. You're saving me from a fate worse than death. You know how much I hate sitting through that stupid service."

"But…"

"But nothing, runt" Caleb broke in. "Just lie down and let me stay and pretend to take care of you, okay? Consider it your Christmas present to me."

"Okay" Sammy agreed as he slid back down in the bed and closed his eyes.

"Hold on Sammy. P.J. said for you to take these when you woke up." Caleb said handing Sam two Tylenol and a glass of water. Seeing the boy's confused look he added, "You've got a fever. Think you kinda made yourself sick walking here from the bus station." He watched the younger boy wash the medicine down with a drink of water and then took the empty glass and set it on the night stand. "Get some more sleep, Sam I am. I'll be right outside if you need me." He whispered before tiptoeing out of the room. He walked down the hall to the stairs and slid down the banister jumping off at the bottom to land in front of Jim.

"Sammy asleep?" Jim asked as he put on his hat and heavy coat.

"Yeah, he took the Tylenol and conked back out." Caleb informed the pastor. "You call papa bear yet?"

"Unfortunately" the older man huffed. "I almost called Pastor Logue to take my place after I talked with that blasted fool! Do you know he was still ranting and raving about Sammy when I talked to him a few hours ago? No worry or remorse in his voice at all; only anger. I've got half a mind to put Sammy in the car and just take off. Keep him away from John for a while."

"That would kill Dean, P.J., Sammy, too." Caleb pointed out. "Those boys can't live without each other."

"I know. I just wish there was something I could do." Jim conceded. Picking up his Bible he reached for the doorknob. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Bobby and Josh are on their way. Hopefully they'll make it before John gets here. But keep the shotgun handy just in case. And whatever you do, don't let John anywhere near Sammy."

"You got it, P.J." Caleb agreed. "Now go before you're late to your own service. And don't worry. I've got everything under control."

Midnight

Hearing the distinctive rumble of the impala's engine Caleb groaned. He really didn't want to deal with an irate John Winchester on his own. But since Jim wasn't back yet and the other hunters had yet to arrive, he had no choice. There was no way he was letting John near Sammy. The kid was like a little brother to him and he wasn't about to let him be hurt again. He just hoped Little Bit slept through all the racket they were sure to cause. Caleb picked up the shotgun at his feet and slowly stood. Going to the door he peered out the window watching as the impala skidded to a stop and Dean leapt from the car. Caleb opened the door just as Dean made it to the porch and stepped aside. "Sammy's in your usual room." He told the teen as he hurried past him and headed up the stairs. "Let him sleep, Dean. The kid's not feeling well." His only answer was a nod of Dean's head. 'One Winchester down, one to go.' He thought as he turned his attention back to the door. Walking backwards until the back of his legs bumped the stairs he took a deep breath and raised the shotgun. "Hold it right there, John" he called as the older man walked through the doorway. "That's far enough."

John froze in the doorway for a second staring at the gun pointed at him. Plastering on a smile he slowly shut the door behind him and raised his hands in surrender. "Caleb, it's me. You can put the gun down now." He calmly said.

"Don't think so, man." Caleb replied.

"Come on Caleb, I just came to get Sammy. I don't want to fight you. Just let me get my sons and leave." John argued voice rising. "I'm giving you a chance here, junior."

"Sorry John, I can't let you do that. Sammy is not going anywhere with you. Not till I'm sure you won't hurt him again." Caleb coldly ground out.

"You won't let me!" John growled. "That's my son you're talking about! I have every right to take…"

"Problem, Caleb?" Bobby asked as he and Joshua walked in from behind the stairs.

"No dude. I've got everything under control." Caleb called back keeping his focus on the Winchester patriarch. "John and I were just about to go in the living room and wait for Pastor Jim. Right, John?"

"Right" John grudgingly agreed. Pushing back his anger at the situation he trudged into the living room and dropped onto the sofa to wait for Jim. He just hoped the pastor would be in a better mood than he was on the phone.

Upstairs

Dean silently snuck into the bedroom he always shared with his little brother and closed the door. Stepping up to the bed his attention was drawn to the nightstand where an empty glass, a pill bottle, and the thermometer stood. Worried he carefully sat down on the bed and placed the back of his hand on Sam's forehead frowning at the heat he found there. His dad hadn't said anything about Sammy being sick. All he'd told Dean was that the kid had run to Jim's. Stifling his own yawn he pulled back the covers a little and lay down beside his brother. Wrapping an arm around Sam's back he gently tugged his little brother closer to him snuggling the boy to his side.

"D'n?" Sammy whispered as his eyes opened to slits.

"Shhhh, go back to sleep Sammy. I'm right here." Dean assured his brother as he carded a hand through the younger boy's long chestnut locks. "Big brother's right here. You're safe now."

Downstairs

Pastor Jim hurried into the house slamming the door to let the others know he was there. Tossing his coat and hat in the direction of the coat rack he walked into the living room and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. There on his couch sat the mighty John Winchester pouting like a toddler denied their favorite candy. How he wished he had a camera to capture that expression. Then the next time the man complained about his younger son sulking, he could just pull out the picture instead of wasting his breath. Schooling his expression the pastor walked over by the fireplace to stand with the others. "Hello, John" he greeted. "I see you've met Sammy's bodyguards."

"Bodyguards? Jim, what the hell is going on?" John asked. "Why are you keeping me from my son?"

"Oh, so now he's your son." Bobby growled.

"Look, I screwed up. I'll be the first to admit it. I was worried about Dean and I let my anger get the better of me. But Sammy is my son and I love him. Please, you can't take him from me." John brokenheartedly pleaded.

"And why should we believe you? How do we know you won't blame the kid next time something goes wrong?" Joshua questioned.

"I, I, I don't know." John honestly answered. "There's nothing I could say or do to prove to you that I won't let it happen again. I'm not even sure I can prevent it. But my boys are all I've got; they're the only bright spot in this whole nightmare. I can't lose them. I just can't."

"John, I want to believe, I do. I don't think you meant to say those things to Sammy. We all know that you speak before you think. But we have a heart broken little boy upstairs. And we have to make sure we do right by him." Jim said as he walked to the couch and took a seat by his friend. "Right now, I'm not so sure being with you is what's best for him."

"Jim, please" John begged.

"I do think he needs you though. Sammy needs your love and support just as much as you need his." Jim told his friend. "With that in mind I've decided on what I hope is the best course of action. I think all three of you should remain at my house for the rest of Christmas break to try to work things out. I'm not going to lie to you John. This is not going to be easy. You'll have to find a way to reign in that infamous temper of yours and you're going to have to take your cues from Sammy. If he's uncomfortable in any way, you'll have to back off. And absolutely no training or hunts."

John glanced at each of his friends before focusing on the ceiling knowing his boys were in the room above him. "We'll do it." he said with a nod. "We'll stay here as long as we need to. I just wanna get my boy back."

"Good, cause I really didn't wanna shoot you." Caleb muttered lowering his shotgun. "Now if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go upstairs and hit the hay. I'll be in Dean and Sammy's room if anyone needs me."

"You're sleeping on the floor?" Jim asked in surprise.

"P-lease" Caleb grumbled rolling his eyes. "I'll be in the bed by the door. Knowing Dean he's in Sammy's bed with the little monkey snuggled into his side."

"He's right about that Jim. Now that he's found Sammy, he's not gonna be letting him out of his sight anytime soon." John pointed out.

"Right" Jim agreed with a yawn. "Why don't we all turn in for the night? It's been a long, stressful day for all of us."

"Sounds good to me." Bobby replied as he stood and stretched. "Josh and I will head back to the motel for the night. We'll catch you guys in the morning."

"Alright, Night gentlemen" Jim called. Shutting and locking the door behind the two hunters he turned and made his way over to John at the bottom of the stairs. "John, I think you should take my room for a while. I'll take the upstairs guest room."

John half heartedly nodded his agreement. He really didn't want to be that far away from his boys. "Can I at least look in on them first?" he quietly asked.

"Of course" Jim agreed. He walked up the stairs with John stopping at the boys' bedroom. Pushing the door open he peered into the darkened room smiling at the sight of Sammy snuggled into his big brother's side.

John stood and watched his boys sleeping for several minutes. It hurt to see how young and innocent they looked in sleep. Both his boys had been through so much, way more than they should have. And through it all they never complained. Sure there were always tears when they moved but they never once made a fuss over designer clothes or the latest toys, there were no temper tantrums at stores if they couldn't get anything. They were always thrilled with what little John got them. And they both practically beamed anytime he offered up a small word of praise for a job well done. They deserved so much more. And starting tomorrow he was going to make sure they got it. "Night boys, I love you" he whispered before shutting the door and walking down the hall. He had a lot of thinking to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- A thank you goes to MysteryMadchen for her idea! Thanks, girl!

Just wanted to give you a heads up. I go back to work tomorrow so it might take me a little longer to update.

Previously on Supernatural- "Night boys, I love you" he whispered before shutting the door and walking down the hall. He had a lot of thinking to do.

John walked into the kitchen the next morning and headed straight for the coffee maker on the far counter. After a night of almost no sleep, he desperately needed the caffeine. He poured himself a mug and turned to lean against the counter. Staring at the three hunters sitting around the long, oak table he attempted to gage their moods. Swiftly figuring out that the men were still mad as hornets the Winchester patriarch decided he would have to tread very carefully. He couldn't afford any mistakes. Walking across the room he sat down at the table across from the others and drank a sip of his coffee to calm his nerves. Clearing his throat John waited until he had Jim's attention and then asked, "Boys still sleeping?"

"Yes" Pastor Jim replied. "They had a rather rough night last night and none of them got much sleep."

"Rough night? What happened? Is something wrong with Dean?" John questioned rising from his chair.

"Is something wrong with Dean?" Bobby mimicked under his breath as he glared at the worried father.

Pastor Jim sent the junk yard owner a warning look before turning his attention to John. "Dean is just fine." He angrily said. "Sammy's the one you should be concerned about. He…"

"Yeah, you know Sammy? Your other son?" Bobby spat.

"Bobby" Jim warned.

"Fine" the furious hunter conceded. Stabbing a sausage link on his plate he stuffed it in his mouth.

"Jim, what's wrong with Sammy?" John asked.

Ignoring Bobby's snort and Joshua's whispered 'you mean besides what you did to the kid?' the minister bit back his own retort. "Sammy's sick, John. He started running a fever shortly after he arrived yesterday. I thought he was just getting a cold from walking all the way here from the bus station in that flimsy little jacket of his but I don't think that's it. He started coughing last night about one o'clock and his fever shot up. We gave him Tylenol for the fever and it lowered the fever but the children's cough syrup I had didn't even put a dent in the coughing. I ended up sending Caleb out to get something stronger. Thankfully that seems to have helped. He finally settled down a little while ago." Jim explained. "I called one of my parishioners this morning and asked if he could take a look at Sammy. He's a pediatrician. He said he'd meet us at his office in about an hour."

'What about the bruises, Jim? How are you going to explain those?" Josh broke in.

"Luckily, I won't have to. Dr. Best knows all about the supernatural and hunters." The pastor told the others. "He won't be happy about all the bruising but he'll understand."

"Good" Josh sighed. "Cause the last thing the little guy needs is to have to deal with a suspicious doctor or worse a visit from CPS."

"I agree" Jim agreed as he got up and took his dirty dishes to the sink. "John, I think you should have a talk with Dean while Sammy and I are gone. See if you can't work things out with him."

"You really think Dean's going to let Sammy go somewhere without him?" Bobby asked.

"Dean doesn't have choice in the matter. With those meds of his coursing through his system I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon." Pastor Jim replied.

"You got Dean to take his medicine? All of it? The pain pills, too?" John questioned gazing curiously at the minister.

"No, I didn't do a thing." Jim told the others. "That was Samuel's doing. Sammy could see Dean was hurting so when Caleb got back with the cough medicine, he refused to take it. Said he wasn't taking anything else until Dean took his meds."

"That sounds like Sammy" Joshua said. "Kid always has had a knack for getting his big brother to do things he didn't want to."

"That he has" the pastor agreed before turning back to the oldest Winchester. "I imagine Dean will sleep for a couple more hours at least. And it'll probably take over an hour for Sammy and me to finish at the doctor's, get whatever medicine he needs, and get back here. So you should have plenty of time to square things with Dean while we're gone."

"Just one thing wrong with that" John said. "Dean and I don't have any problems we need to work through, Jim."

"John if you think you and Dean are alright after everything that's happened, then you're more clueless than I thought." Jim growled. "Sammy's not the only one who's suffered from your antics. Dean's biggest fear has always been that he would lose part or all of his family and that's just what happened. That boy's angry that you hurt his brother so badly and he's worried that he's going to lose one of you because of it. And if I know Dean, he's probably also shouldering a mountain of guilt for getting hurt on the hunt that started all this mess. He always has blamed himself when things go wrong."

"Jim's right, man" Joshua softly stated.

"You've got to talk to Dean; get him to see that what happened was in no way his fault." Jim instructed. "And you need to make sure he understands that you intend to work things out with Sammy; that you're not going to cut and run like you usually do."

"I don't…"

"Shut it Winchester!" Bobby bellowed. "You do and you know it so just cut the innocent routine!"

"Bobby's got a point" Caleb yawned from the doorway. "Would have been nice if he'd toned down the volume a bit, but he's got you there, Johnny."

"Fine, I get it. I'll talk to Dean." John grumbled.

"See that you do." Jim ordered as he headed for the door. "Now, I need to go get ready. So if you gentlemen will excuse me?"

"Jim, wait" John called. "I've got a problem."

"Only one" Bobby mumbled earning himself another heated glare from the pastor.

"What is it, John?" Jim asked.

"All of our stuff is still back at the house. We thought we were just coming to pick up Sammy. We didn't plan on staying." John told his friend. "Dean and I are gonna need to go get our clothes and things from the house."

"Alright" Jim agreed. Cocking his head he thought for a moment and then said, "You go ahead back to the house and pick up whatever you need. That should give you time to think. Dean can stay here and rest."

"What about our talk?" John asked.

"It can wait till you get back." Jim replied. "Dean's still recovering; he doesn't need to be stuffed in a car for that long. Course if you don't want to go alone, I'm sure one of the others wouldn't mind riding with you."

"I'll go" Bobby broke in grinning mischievously over at the Winchester patriarch.

"No" Jim told the salvage owner. "The boys need their dad back in one piece."

"I'll ride with him" Josh offered.

"Okay, let's go" John replied as he dumped his mug into the sink. "The sooner we leave, the sooner I get back to my boys."

Jim followed the other two hunters out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs. "Go slow and be careful on the road. It's really slick out there." He cautioned.

"You too" John called back. Snatching his coat off the rack he shrugged it on. "And Jim, thanks for everything."

"No thanks necessary. Families help each other." Jim replied as he started up the stairs. "And you and the boys are family whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, you're the black sheep." Joshua chuckled. Ducking the swat John leveled his way he trudged out into the cold still laughing.

Shaking his head at his friend's sense of humor Jim walked the rest of the way up the stairs and down the hall to the boys' room. He tiptoed into the room and silently made his way over to the bed furthest from the door. Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress the pastor reached out and lightly shook the youngest Winchester's shoulder. "Sammy, Sammy wake up son." He softly called.

"J'm?" Sam whispered as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Morning Sammy" Jim greeted smiling down at the sleepy youngster. "Sorry to wake you but we need to get you dressed. You have a doctor's appointment to get to."

"No do'tor, T'red" Sam protested. He closed his eyes and started to turn on his side only to be stopped by the pastor's hold on his arm.

"Oh no you don't, young man" Jim gently scolded as he grabbed the boy's arm. "I know you're tired but you can sleep when we get back from seeing the doctor. Now come on and get dressed. I'll help you." Picking up the shirt he'd already laid out Jim helped Sam change into a clean shirt and jeans. Kneeling down he quickly slipped on the boy's socks and shoes before standing. Wrapping an arm around Sammy's waist he pulled the boy up and slowly walked him out the door.

In the truck

John snuck glances at Joshua as they inched down the road. The tense atmosphere in the old pick up was stifling and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand it. There wasn't even any music playing to distract him from the situation. He gazed out the window for a while but since the only thing he could see was a sea of sparkling white, it didn't take long for him to get bored. Casting another glance at his companion out of the corner of his eye John decided to try to talk with Josh; make him understand that this was all a big mistake. He cleared his throat and said, "Thanks for coming with me, Josh. I appreciate it."

"No problem, John" Joshua replied.

"You know I didn't mean what I said, right?" John asked keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Don't matter what I think." Josh gruffly answered. "All that matters is that Sammy thinks you meant it. You hurt him bad, Johnny and that's not something I take lightly."

"Yeah, like you never hurt him." John grumbled.

"Are you ever gonna let that go?" the young man hollered hitting the steering wheel in frustration. "That was years ago, man! And it was an accident! I didn't know Sammy was at the door!"

"I know and I forgave you." John pointed out. "All I'm asking is that you do the same."

"Don't know if I can do that." Joshua honestly said. "What I did was an accident. I didn't even know I was about to scare Sammy until it was too late. You knew what you said was gonna hurt the kid; Hell that's why you said what you did. You meant for it to hurt."

"Josh, you know me. You know I'd never intentionally hurt my boys." John pleaded. "I was just so angry! I didn't mean to hurt him."

"You wanna get angry, fine! Go for a run! Or hit a tree! Do something, anything to keep from spouting off!" Josh angrily suggested. "You gotta do something about that temper before you lose those two boys for good."

"I will Josh. I'm not gonna let my mouth get away from me again. I promise." John told his friend.

At the doctor's office

Sammy lay on the short exam table shivering as he waited for Pastor Jim and the doctor to come in the door. He glanced around the room staring wide eyed at all the various instruments along the wall and on the counter. Pushing back his fear he slowly calmed himself down. If he wasn't going to be a burden anymore, he needed to grow up. He shouldn't be freaked out by a doctor's visit. He just needed to suck it up and act like a man, not some little baby. Hearing the door open he glanced up to see his friend walk in along with a burly older man with black hair. He watched as the leather clad man came up to the table and extended his hand.

"Hey there Sammy. Name's Dr. Best, but you can call me Bubba." The doctor greeted as he shook his patient's hand. "Jimmy here tells me you had yourself a bad night. How about telling me what hurts and I'll try to fix it for ya."

Sammy smiled despite himself. The doctor reminded him of Bobby without the ball cap. Realizing that the doc was waiting for an answer he shrugged. "My head hurts a little, and my chest. It hurts when I breathe." He told Dr. Best.

"Okay buddy, let's see what I can do about that." The doctor said as he grabbed a few instruments off the counter.

At the house

"Need any help, John?" Joshua called as he trudged over to the couch and plopped down.

"No, I got it!" John shouted back as he lumbered down the hall to his son's bedroom. Throwing Dean's duffle on the bed he began hastily shoving things inside.

Joshua glanced around the living room in surprise. This was definitely one of the better places the Winchesters had stayed. Seeing a car magazine on the small table beside him he reached over to grab it stopping as a half crumpled piece of notebook paper lying on the floor caught his eye. Bending down he picked up the paper and straightened it out. Recognizing the youngest Winchester's handwriting the hunter skimmed the page growing angrier with each word he read. Making it to the end he slammed his fist into the couch cushions. He'd known it was bad but this worse than he'd imagined. This was way more than a few cross words. Needing to do something to keep himself from beating the oldest Winchester to a pulp, Josh pocketed the note and headed into the kitchen. Dean always kept some snacks for him and Sammy and he was sure the boys would want some when they woke up. He rifled through the drawers and cabinets till he found the large bags of M&M's and Skittles. He stuck them in the pockets of his coat and started for the swinging kitchen door smiling when he heard John's footsteps headed his way. Creeping to the door he listened as the steps got closer and closer. He waited for just the right moment and then slammed the door open smirking at the muffled thud on the other side. Walking out the swinging door he looked down at John who was blinking up at him from the floor. "Did I do that?" Josh innocently asked.

John pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at the blood running from his nose. Glaring up at his not so innocent friend he grabbed the two bags at his side and slowly stood. "What the Hell was that for?" he barked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Johnny." Josh replied. "Guess my hands just got away from me. You know, like your mouth does."

Rolling his eyes at his friend John bit back the reply that was dying to come out. Figuring this was a test he forced a smile on his face. "That's okay, Josh. Could happen to anybody." He said as he headed toward the front door. He couldn't get home fast enough.

Pastor Jim's place

Hearing the pastor's car pull up outside Bobby jumped out of his chair and hurried to the door. Opening the door he went out onto the porch frowning as his friend climbed out the driver's side and walked around to the passenger door. Taking the stairs two at a time he quickly made it to the car. Seeing the littlest Winchester peacefully sleeping he smiled. "I'll get him." He offered. Opening the door he carefully scooped the boy into his arms and trudged back up the steps and into the house. Once inside he quickly walked up the staircase and down the hall to the boys' room. He crept across the room and gently settled Sammy in bed next to his sleeping sibling before removing the boy's shoes. After covering the youngster up, the salvage owner silently made his way back out of the room. He hurried down to the kitchen where his friend was pouring himself a cup of coffee. "What'd the doc say?" he asked as he took a seat at the table.

"Dr. Best said its walking pneumonia." Jim replied. He shuffled over to the table and dropped into a chair. "He also said Sammy's been getting sick for at least a couple of days now."

"Figures" Bobby growled. "So, do I need to go pick up some prescriptions for the kid?"

"No, it's already been taken care of. Dr. Best called them in to the hospital pharmacy and he sweet talked one of the nurses into bringing them to us." Jim told him. "He gave Sammy a breathing treatment and a shot of antibiotics so he won't need to take anything for a few hours."

"Glad I missed that." Bobby joked. "One experience with Sammy and needles is way more than enough for me."

"You know I always thought the crying and screaming was the worst but I was wrong. The boy's still terrified but he forces himself to suck it up as his father would say. That's ten times worse." Pastor Jim said. "At least when he was little you could hold him and comfort him when it was over."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Bobby agreed. "Just hope that's not Johnny's solution this time."

"It won't be. I meant what I said. If John sets so much as a toe out of line, I won't hesitate to take the boys and disappear." Jim adamantly stated. "I just hope it doesn't come to that."

"Me too, Jim. Me too"

Several hours later

Sam slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Finding himself back in his room with Dean he mentally groaned. Somebody had had to drag his lazy ass up here. He'd been a burden again. God, couldn't he do anything right? Okay, from now on he was going to do things for himself. No more being a burden. He was twelve after all. Decision made he reached over to the nightstand for some water but his glass was empty. Resigning himself to a trip to the kitchen he peered over at Dean to make sure he was sleeping and then slid out of bed. Standing he had to close his eyes for a few minutes to let the dizziness pass. He then tiptoed across the room and out the thankfully open door. He padded through the hall and carefully made his way down the stairs. Sammy had just reached the bottom step when the front door opened and his dad walked in carrying a duffle.

"Dad, what, what are you doing here?" Sam asked staring at his father. "I thought you were…" he stopped as he spotted the familiar duffle in his dad's hand. "Oh, I get it. You're here to get Dean."

"No, Sammy, I…"

"I understand, Dad." Sam continued. "I knew Dean couldn't stay with me."

"Sammy, I…"

"I'm sorry" Sam apologized. "I didn't mean to take you away from the hunt. I'll just go get him and you two can…"

"Sammy, will you shut up for a minute and listen!" John shouted. Mentally cursing himself at his son's flinch he softened his tone. "Sammy, I'm not taking Dean away." He told his youngest. "Dean and I aren't going anywhere. We're staying right here so you…"

"You're making me leave?" Sammy cried breathing heavily. "But, but I don't have any-any wh-where to, to go! Please, you, you can't…"

"Sammy, Sammy calm down son" John instructed as he headed for his hyperventilating son. "Come on buddy, slow it down. Nobody's going anywhere. We're all staying here toget…" Seeing Sammy's eyes roll up in his head and his knees buckle John ran the last few feet and caught his son before he could hit the floor. Picking up his youngest he hurried into the living room and gently laid the boy on the long couch calling for Jim the whole time.

Jim dropped the can of soup he was opening and dashed into the living room at his friend's frightened shouts. Seeing John leaning over an unconscious Sammy he stormed over to the two. "What the Hell did you do?" he demanded pushing John away from the couch.

"I didn't do anything, Jim. Sammy saw me coming in with the duffles and freaked out. I tried to tell him I wasn't going to take Dean away from him but he wouldn't listen." John hastily explained. "I finally yelled at him and I told him we were staying here. But he started hyperventilating. He was begging me not to kick him out and then he just passed out."

"I can't believe you! How could you be so stupid!" Jim growled. Hearing a groan he raised a hand to John to stop him from coming closer and turned his attention to the youngest Winchester. "Sammy? Sammy, open your eyes son." He called as he stroked the boy's cheek. He smiled as the boy's eyelids fluttered several times before opening.

"Pastor Jim?" Sammy rasped.

"Right here Sammy" the pastor replied. "You gave me quite a scare young man. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess" Sammy said as his eyes roamed the room. He squirmed around for a moment before settling back down. "Umm, Pastor Jim, do you think you could turn on some lights? It's too dark. I can't see anything."

Jim's stomach clenched as he glanced at a panicking John across the brightly lit room. Sammy was blind!

AN- for anyone wondering about the conversation in the truck between John and Josh, they're talking about an incident that happened in the story "Sammy and the Clowns".


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- I apologize for the latest of this one. This was a hard chapter to write. (And I went off yesterday and part of today to celebrate my birthday)

Previously on Supernatural- Jim's stomach clenched as he glanced at a panicking John across the brightly lit room. Sammy was blind!

SPN

Sammy's brow furrowed as a gasp echoed through the room. Wondering what was wrong he lightly squeezed the hand holding his. "What's a matter, Pastor Jim?" Sam asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Of course not" Jim assured turning his attention back on the littlest Winchester. "You didn't say anything wrong, Sammy."

"Then what's wrong? I know something's not right. What is it? What's going on, Pastor Jim?" Sammy questioned his breathing increasing with each question.

"Sammy? Sammy, I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me, son?" Jim asked. Seeing the boy struggling to comply the pastor swiftly sat the teenager up and slid in behind him. He settled Sammy back against his chest. "It's okay, Sammy, just breathe with me. In, out, in, out." he coached smiling as the young man's breathing began to slow down. "That's it Sammy. You're doing great." Hearing the kitchen door open he glanced up to see Josh and Bobby entering the room. Motioning for the two to stay back Jim focused back on his young charge. "That's better Sammy." He said. Hearing footsteps he looked up to see Dean stomping down the stairs with Caleb right on his heels.

"What's going on?" Dean bellowed as he stormed into the room followed by Caleb. Spotting his little brother lying against Jim he hurried over to the couch. He gave the pastor a moment to move and then slid in behind his sibling. "Sammy, you okay, kiddo?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Sam replied gazing up in the direction of his brother's voice. "I just wish somebody would turn on the lights."

"Lights?" Caleb questioned. "Sammy the lights are…"

"Caleb" Pastor Jim interrupted shaking his head in warning at the younger man, "I think I left one of the stove burners on. Could you go turn it off for me?"

"Burners? Why would you…" Caleb stopped suddenly as he figured out what was going on. "Oh, the burner! I'll just go turn that off now. Be right back."

"Thank you Caleb" Jim called over his shoulder. Turning his attention back to the ailing boy on the couch and his freaked out older brother the pastor mustered up all the strength he could manage for the coming conversation and the reaction he knew would follow. Retaking the younger boy's hand in his Jim cleared his throat. "Sammy, do you remember if you hit your head when you passed out?" he asked flinching as Dean yell of 'Sammy passed out?' was followed by Bobby and Joshua's twin growls of 'What the Hell did you do now, old man?'. Giving Sammy's hand a reassuring squeeze the minister turned and leveled a glare at his friends that would have made even the most fearsome Hell hound run away. "Quiet you three!" he ordered. "You're not helping!"

Bobby and Joshua glared at Jim for a moment before taking a baby step back away from John. Crossing their arms both hunters eyed their prey waiting for just one wrong move.

Seeing his distraught boys John finally found his voice. "Sammy didn't hit his head on anything, Jim. I caught him before he could." He told the pastor.

"Are you sure, John?" Jim questioned. Seeing the father nod Pastor Jim sighed and turned back to his young charge. "Sammy, I have something I have to tell you. And I need for you to be calm." Jim instructed. "Can you do that for me, son?"

"I, I guess" Sammy stammered. He knew what was coming; had known ever since he heard his father's voice. Jim was about to kick him out just like his dad had. He didn't want to be burdened with some useless little kid either. Blinking back the tears that were forming he pulled away from Dean and leaned against the back of the couch. Steeling himself he asked, "What is it?"

"Sammy, son, there's something wrong with your eyes. For some reason they're not working." Jim began, "All the lights are on. I thought maybe you'd hit your head…"

"No! That can't be right! I can't be blind!" Sammy hollered as he leapt off the couch. "You, you're lying! The lights aren't on! Why are you lying?"

Dean jumped up and wrapped his arms around his swaying brother. "Sammy, Sammy it's alright. Everything's gonna be okay." He soothed as hugged the younger boy to his chest. When Sammy's knees buckled Dean quickly adjusted his stance to accommodate the change in weight and lowered both of them to the floor. Once on the ground he slowly began to rock his little brother. "Shhh, Sammy, I've got you. You're alright. Everything's gonna be okay." He whispered.

"P.J., what's going on?" Caleb quietly asked as he walked up beside the pastor. "Sammy's not really blind, is he?"

"I don't know, Caleb." Jim replied patting the younger man's shoulder. "But I'm going to find out. Watch over the boys for me. I've got a call to make."

Unable to stand seeing his boys in pain any longer John started to make his way over to them only to be blocked by Josh and Bobby. "Get out of my way" he demanded as he tried to side step around them.

"Not happening, John" Bobby ground out. "You're not getting anywhere near Dean or Sammy right now."

"But my boys need me." John protested. Seeing Jim coming his way he called out, "Jim! Tell these two to let me by! I need to get to my boys!"

Jim walked over to John. Scowling at the younger man he said, "No, John, I will not tell them to move. Bobby and Josh are doing exactly what they need to do; they're protecting the boys. Sammy can't handle another run in with you right now. Now I'm going to call Dr. Best and have him meet me at his office. Then the boys and I are going into town to get Sammy some help. You are staying right here."

"No! You are not taking my boys anywhere!" John barked voice rising with each word. "No matter what happened, Sammy is still my son and he will go…" the rest of his rant was cut off as his youngest's soft voice silenced him.

"Please don't make me leave" Sammy begged as he tightened his grip on Dean's arm. "Please! I promise I'll go as soon as I can see. Just please let me stay here a little longer."

"Sammy, you aren't…"

"staying." Sammy finished for his father. He slowly pushed away from Dean and pulled himself up. "I understand. I'll go now. Thank you for everything Pastor Jim."

"Get him outta here!" Dean hollered at the older men. Turning he gently grabbed his little brother by the arm before the boy could take a step. Wrapping his arms around his struggling sibling he rushed to reassure the young boy. "Sammy, you can't leave. Your place is here with me." He assured his brother.

"Dean's right, Sammy. You belong here with us. " Caleb agreed as he walked up beside the two Winchesters and placed a hand on the boys' shoulders. "There's no way we're letting you leave."

"But, but…"

"No buts" Dean adamantly stated as he led his little brother back to the couch. Ignoring the scuffling and heated words coming from the other side of the room he slowly lowered himself and his brother to the sofa and pulled Sammy in for a hug. "You're staying right here where you belong. Got it?"

Sammy melted into his brother's embrace. He knew it wouldn't last; knew his dad would take Dean and the others away from him. But right this minute he couldn't care less. He was content just to sit and bask in his big brother's love and support for as long as he could.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Warning- Strong language. Caleb and company kind of let their mouths get away from them.

Previously on Supernatural- Sammy melted into his brother's embrace. He knew it wouldn't last; knew his dad would take Dean and the others away from him. But right this minute he couldn't care less. He was content just to sit and bask in his big brother's love and support for as long as he could.

SPN

Caleb watched as Dean worked to calm his little brother down. Unfortunately Sammy's trembling seemed to worsen no matter what the older boy did or said. Knowing that the scuffling on the other side of the room was what was agitating the youngster Caleb glanced over at the older men scowling as they continued to fight oblivious to what it was doing to the teenagers on the couch. Their father was so damn concerned with his right to his sons that he wasn't even thinking about what his actions were doing to the boys in question.

John Winchester was his friend and mentor and the man had taught him a lot about hunting and the world in general but he was a complete jackass when it came to his own children. He treated his boys like foot soldiers, barking orders and doling out punishments whenever he saw fit. Dean had thrived in that atmosphere. The kid would jump through hoops for his old man; always trying to please the mighty hunter. And he did make his father proud, not that his dad told him that. John was stingier with praise than Scrooge was with money. His praise was few and far between while his scalding lectures and punishments seemed to happen all the time usually to the youngest member of the family. Sammy was a good hunter in his own right but he wasn't the natural that Dean was. Not that that was surprising; Sammy had only been training a couple of years while Dean had been at it since he was four. Nevertheless John expected Sammy to be exactly like his brother in every way even though the boys were as different as night and day. Anyone could see that; anyone whose name wasn't John Winchester that is.

A wheezing sound drew Caleb out of his thoughts. Looking down at his charges he noticed that Sammy's breathing was beginning to speed up again. Cursing the fighting idiots on the other side of the room the older boy snapped. Turning he stomped over to the fireplace where the three men were still struggling and punched John square in the jaw stunning the older hunters. "Would you stop thinking about yourself for one damn minute and look at what you're doing to your boys?" he bellowed glaring at the surprised man. "Sammy's freaking out because of you! Can't you see that? Can't you see what you're doing to him?"

"Now listen here you little…"

"No, you listen, you self-righteous son of a bitch! You've got five seconds to get outta my sight!" Caleb shouted as he pulled his pistol from the back of his jeans and leveled it at John. "Five…four…three…"

"John, he's not kidding." Josh warned tugging on the Winchester patriarch's arm. "Come on"

"Fine, I'm going" John huffed as he backed out of the room. "But this isn't over. I will get my boys back."

"Not if I can help it." Caleb growled. He watched for the kitchen door to shut and then lowered his weapon. Handing his gun to Bobby he grinned before turning and walking back to the couch. Dropping down beside Dean he patted the teenager's back. "How's Sammy doing?" he whispered.

"Not too good but he's hanging in there." Dean replied keeping his focus on his little brother.

Caleb glanced up as footsteps heralded Jim's arrival. "Did you get a hold of the doc?" he asked.

"Yes, he said he'd be waiting for us at his office in the hospital." Pastor Jim told him. Kneeling down in front of the couch he handed Dean his shoes. He then slipped Sammy's shoes on his feet and stood intending to fetch the boys' jackets. Turning he found the jackets being handed to him instead. "Thanks Bobby" he said as he gave the coats to Dean. Pulling the other hunter aside a little he whispered, "Dr. Best wants to admit Sammy so he can run some tests and keep an eye on the pneumonia. It would just be for overnight; a day at the most. Considering the circumstances right now I think it's for the best. We'll be able to keep a closer watch on Sammy and Dean there and we won't have to worry about any more misunderstandings."

"And what's to keep Johnny boy from going there and raising a ruckus about seeing his boys?" Bobby gruffly asked.

"Oh, I'm afraid John will be far too busy chasing a red herring to do that." Jim said with a sly smile. "You see, I'm going to call back here about an hour after we leave. After the call you and Caleb are going to gather up our things and take off. John will assume you two are headed off to meet me and the boys and follow."

Bobby held back a laugh. "John's gonna be pissed when he realizes it's a wild goose chase."

"That he will" Jim conceded. "But hopefully by then Sammy and Dean will have had several days to recover and get their strength back."

"Oh you can count on that." Bobby replied winking at the minister.

"Thanks Bobby" the pastor said before turning to the boys. "You boys ready to go?"

"Yeah" Dean softly answered. Wrapping an arm around his little brother he slowly stood bringing Sammy with him. Biting back a groan as the movement pulled on his healing stitches the teenager let out a relieved breath as Caleb placed Sammy's other arm over his shoulder taking on most of the younger boy's weight. Giving his friend a grateful smile Dean slowly shuffled after Jim.

Jim hurried down the porch stairs and over to his light blue family car. Opening the back door he tossed a pile of old books and papers into the front before setting a blanket on the bench seat and heading around to the other side of his vehicle. Climbing in the driver's seat the pastor started the car revving the engine a few times. He turned the heater on full blast to warm the freezing interior for his passengers. Hearing the back door close Jim glanced up in the rearview mirror frowning at seeing three boys instead of two. "Caleb, what are you doing?" he asked. "I thought you were staying here."

"I was, but Sammy here seems to have a different idea." Caleb replied pointing to his left arm that was being held in a vice like grip against the younger boy's chest.

"Oh" Pastor Jim said with a smile. "Well then, let's get this show on the road." He put the gear shift in drive and slowly drove out of the driveway and down the snow slick highway.

SPN

Joshua leaned against the counter keeping a close eye on the extremely agitated man sitting at the table. Taking a gulp of his coffee he sighed as Bobby entered the room. Knowing that the eldest Winchester was just seconds from exploding it felt good to have someone watching his back.

John slammed his hands on the table in frustration. He couldn't believe Caleb had pulled a gun on him! The kid was supposed to be his friend for cripes sake! He had thought that they all were his friends. So why were they trying to keep him away from his boys? And more importantly why was he letting them? He was a Winchester dammit! And Winchesters didn't back down from a fight! He was going to get his boys and he was going now! Sneaking a glance at his opponents he sized his two friends up as he quickly formed a plan. Decision made John leapt to his feet and spun around coming face to face…with two loaded guns?

"Sit down Johnny" Bobby ordered grinning at the surprised expression on his old friend's face. "You ain't going nowhere."

"But my boys…"

"Are fine" Josh finished for him. "Pastor Jim will make sure of that."

"But they need me, not Jim" the angry father spat.

"No, they need their daddy." Bobby corrected. "Not the mule headed hunter/Marine I'm seeing now. Sammy's dealing with more than enough as it is. He can't handle father dearest railing on him too."

"I wasn't doing that. He didn't let me finish; just kept twisting my words around." John protested.

"And just where do you think he got those ideas from, huh John? Sammy didn't come up with that leaving crap all by himself. Somebody had to have put those notions in his head and I've got a pretty good idea who." Josh growled.

John glared at his two friends. "You don't know…"

"Like Hell I don't!" Joshua hollered as he pulled a rumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. "It's all here in this note Sammy left!"

"Note?" Bobby broke in reaching for the paper. "What note?"

SPN

Dr. Best walked into his office smiling at the sight of the three men protectively standing around their youngest member. He shook hands with Jim before walking over to the teenager sitting on the exam table. "Hey Sammy" he greeted as he noisily stepped up to the table.

"Hi Bubba" Sammy rasped.

"Bubba?" Dean snorted.

"Dean" Jim warned shooting a glare at the young man.

"Lighten up Jim" the doctor chuckled. Turning to Dean he said, "My little brother gave me that name years ago. See when he was just a tiny mite Steven couldn't say my name. He tried to say brother but it always came out bubba. By the time he could say brother it was too late; the nickname had already stuck. I've been Bubba ever since."

"Sorry man, I didn't mean…"

"Not a problem." Dr. Best broke in waving off Dean's apology. "Now what do you say we concentrate on finding out what's going on with Sammy here?" Getting a nod in reply Bubba smiled and turned back to his patient.

Several minutes and one thorough exam later Dr. Best looked at his patient and cleared his throat. "Sammy, I'm gonna need to admit you to the hospital for a little while." He told the youngster. Seeing the boy open his mouth to protest he quickly added, "It'll just be for a day or two, sport. Just long enough for me to get some tests done and figure out what's going on with your eyes. Your little entourage can stay in the room with you and everything. I promise. Okay?"

"No" Sammy croaked shaking his head. "No please! I don't wanna stay!"

"Sammy, I don't like it anymore than you do but you gotta stay dude. You gotta give the doc a chance to get you better." Dean pointed out. "And I'll be with you every step of the way. Come on kiddo, it'll be alright. I promise."

"Dean's right Sam I am." Caleb agreed as he carded a hand through the boy's mop of hair. "Don't worry, Dean will be right there to make sure you're okay and I'll be there to protect you both. You have nothing to worry about."

"See Sammy, you'll have two bodyguards at your side twenty-four seven. You can't get better than that. Nothing for you to worry about but getting better." Dean pointed out. "Okay, Sammy?"

"You won't leave me?" Sammy whispered toying with the hem of his shirt.

"Not a chance, buddy." Dean promised.

"Okay" Sam softly agreed. "I'll stay."

"Good" Dr. Best said. He walked over to the cabinet in the corner and pulled out a handful of clothes. "I'm guessing that you wouldn't wear one of those open backed gowns. Most boys your age don't. So, I won't even try to talk you into one. This sleep shirt and pants should be about the right size. Why don't you change into those while I go get the paperwork done?"

"Thanks Dr. Best" Dean said taking the offered clothes. He waited for the doctor and Jim to leave the room and then motioned for Caleb to turn around. "Okay Sammy you can change now. The coast is clear." He told the younger boy as he set the clothes on the table.

SPN

"Bubba" Jim called out as he hurried up to the physician. "Did your exam show up anything?"

"No" Dr. Best replied. "But I didn't really expect it too. I have an idea what it might be from what you've told me but I don't want to speak out of turn."

"Anything you say would stay between us. You know that." The pastor assured his friend. "Now spit it out. What are you thinking?"

"Well, it could be a lot of things, but" Bubba began, "everything is pointed towards it being a case of hysterical blindness."

"What?" Jim worriedly asked. "You mean Sammy is…"

"I'm not saying anything at this point Jimmy. I said it could be, not that it is." Dr. Best quickly backtracked. "There could be a physical reason for the blindness. We won't know for sure until the tests are done."

"I hate to say it but I hope you're right and it is something physical. It'll be much easier for Sammy and everyone else to deal with." Jim sighed. "Besides, that boy is already struggling to deal with more than enough emotionally. He doesn't need any more."

"I hear ya" Bubba muttered. Walking behind the nurse's desk he grabbed a clipboard full of papers and handed them to the minister. "Here, you fill these out for the kid while I get the admitting paperwork done." Snatching pens off the counter both men silently went to work.

SPN

Dean and Caleb looked up as the door opened and a nurse walked into the room with an IV bag. "Umm, can we help you?" Caleb asked as he watched the motherly figure head their way.

"Afternoon boys, my name's Nurse Betty." The old lady greeted as she walked over to the counter and rummaged through the drawers. "Dr. Best wanted me to start an IV on Sammy before we take him up to his room."

Seeing his little brother tense at the mention of the IV Dean started rubbing his hand up and down Sam's arm. He eyed the nurse as she shuffled over to the table supplies in hand. Dean was pleasantly surprised however as Nurse Betty immediately put Sam at ease by warning him whenever she was about to touch him and before inserting the needle. Nurse Betty was definitely one of the better nurses he'd met. He hoped she'd be the one taking care of his brother. Noticing that the nurse was filling a syringe Dean frowned. "What's that for?" he asked pointing to the shot in the woman's hand.

"It's an antibiotic." Nurse Betty explained. "Pastor Jim told Bubba that Sammy hadn't taken his medicine yet. So Dr. Best wanted a dose added to the IV. It'll probably make him sleep for a while but sleep's the best thing for him right now." She injected the medication into the port in the back of Sammy's hand and then tossed the used needle in the red box hanging on the wall. "I'll see you boys upstairs." She said before walking out the door leaving the boys alone once more.

"Dean" Sammy called out as he fought the sleepiness that was suddenly overtaking him.

"Right here" Dean replied lightly squeezing his little brother's hand. He chuckled as Sam's eyes closed only to pop back open again. "Go to sleep Sammy. I'm not going anywhere."

"Ooookay" Sam yawned. "Love you Dean" Sammy fought to stay awake a moment longer before closing his eyes. He held back a sob knowing that when he awoke his brother and friends would be gone and he'd be all alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Ooookay" Sam yawned. "Love you Dean." Sammy fought to stay awake a moment longer before closing his eyes. He held back a sob knowing that when he awoke his brother and friends would be gone and he'd be all alone.

SPN

"_I should've just kept my big mouth shut"_ Josh thought as he stood between his two furious friends. This was the last place he wanted to be. Most days he would have happily paid to see Bobby beat the shit outta John. In the best of times the Winchester patriarch was damn near infuriating with his cocky attitude and smug smile. As for the rest of the time the man thought he was God's gift to hunting. That John was the most arrogant, bull-headed SOB Josh had ever met. The man thought he had all the answers and could do no wrong. Winchester had lost more than a few good friends with that attitude. There was no denying Johnny had had this coming for a long time now. The eldest Winchester needed to be knocked down a peg or two. But this was neither the time nor the place for that to happen. Dean and Sammy were gonna need their daddy to get through this mess. And that was the reason Josh found himself stuck in the middle of a battle zone.

Keeping his arms out as he stood between the warring parties Joshua glared at both men. He was not about to let these two get any closer to each other. He so did not want to be in the middle of a free for all. Knowing that Bobby was the more level headed of the two he decided to work on him first. "Don't do it, Bobby" he pleaded.

"Get outta my way, Josh!" Bobby growled. "I don't wanna go through you but I will."

"Yea, Josh! Let him through!" John challenged.

"Shut it John!" Josh ordered not taking his eyes off Bobby. "Come on, Bobby. You know I'd love to see you knock some sense into the jackass but it's not the time. Think about Dean and Sammy."

"I am thinking about them!" Bobby bellowed.

"No, Bobby, you're not. You're thinking about getting revenge for what happened to the boys." Josh corrected. "There's a big difference." Seeing that his words weren't having the desired effect the older hunter huffed out a frustrated breathe. Sometimes the junk yard owner could be just as stubborn and ornery as Winchester. Knowing that this was one battle he couldn't afford to lose Josh tried a different approach. "Look, Bobby I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I read the note. I know you wanna pound the life outta John; I can't blame you. I'd like to do that myself. But we've gotta think about Sammy and Dean right now. Those boys love their daddy no matter what. And they're gonna need him whether we want to admit it or not. Those bruises aren't the only things hurting Sammy and you know it. Whatever John said to him is killing the kid and the only way Little Bit can heal is for his daddy to man up and tell Sammy how he really feels about him."

"This ain't no TV show Josh. A few words from dear old dad here aren't gonna magically solve all the boy's problems." Bobby huffed.

"And this will?" Josh fired back.

"No, but it'll make me feel better." The salvage owner muttered.

"Well, bully for you." Joshua sarcastically stated pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache that was starting to make itself known. These two stubborn cusses were more aggravating than the snot nosed brats that kept sneaking onto his property looking for moonshine. Sighing he glanced at his two angry friends. It was gonna be a long night.

SPN

Sammy awoke to the soft murmur of voices above him. Hoping the afternoon's events had been a dream he slowly opened his eyes. He had to hold back a sob as the ever present darkness still surrounded him. What was he going to do now? With his sight gone he'd be no good to anybody. How was he going to take care of himself now? How would he even survive when he couldn't…?

"Hey sleepyhead" Dean softly called as he took a seat on the edge of the bed and took his little brother's hand in his.

Sammy's head snapped around in the direction his big brother's voice. He couldn't have heard Dean. His big brother had left with his dad while he was sleeping. Hadn't he? Mustering up the courage to find out he whispered, "D-D-Dean? You're still here."

"Course I'm still here. Where else would I be? Vegas?" the older boy teased smirking at his ailing sibling. One look at Sammy's face quickly wiped the smirk off Dean's face. Stunned he eyed his younger brother searching the boy's face for any sign of teasing and frowning when he found none. "Wait, you're serious, aren't you?" he asked his shock clear in his tone. Sam's head turning away was the only answer he needed. Reaching out he gently grasped his brother's chin turning the boy back to face him. "Sammy, I don't know what dad did or said to make you think we'd abandon you. But whatever he said was wrong. I will never leave you, buddy. You're my little brother and I love you. Nothing's ever gonna change that."

"Dean's right, squirt. No way you're getting rid of him. That goes for the rest of us too." Caleb piped up as he stepped over to the bed. "Afraid you're stuck with all of us, kid."

"Caleb! You're here too?" Sammy disbelievingly called.

Biting back the sarcastic comment just dying to come out the older boy smiled. "I'm right here Sam I am." Caleb replied running a hand through Sammy's hair. "Jim's here too. And we're staying right here until Dr. Best releases you." Seeing the littlest Winchester's expression change from happy to fearful Caleb mentally kicked himself at his choice of words. "Then we are all going back to Jim's for a late Christmas." He added making sure to stress the word all.

"Christmas?" Sammy repeated eyes widening as he remembered what day it was. "I'm, I'm sorry Caleb! Today's Christmas! I messed it up for everybody! You, you guys should go, go back to J-Jim's and celebrate. I'll, be, be okay h-h-here by my, myself." He stammered as he began to cough.

"You're not getting rid of us that easy, kiddo." Dean emphatically told his sibling. He eased Sammy into a sitting position and patted his back as the coughing spell continued. Once it was over Dean helped his little brother take a sip of water before settling him back on the bed. "You okay, Sammy?"

"Y-yeah" Sammy rasped turning his head toward the sound of the opening door.

"Evening gentlemen" Dr. Best cheerfully greeted as he walked into the room. Noticing Dean sitting beside his brother Bubba went around the bed and stepped up on the other side of his patient. Pulling out his stethoscope he asked, "How are you feeling, Sammy?"

"Better" Sammy softly answered jumping as the cold instrument landed on his chest. He followed the doctor's directions taking as deep a breathe as he could manage and letting them out. As soon as he heard the rustle of Bubba pocketing the stethoscope he blurted out, "I'm sorry I ruined your Christmas."

Dr. Best stared down at the boy in surprise. "You didn't ruin anything Sammy." He assured the young teen.

"Yes, I, I did." Sammy argued. "You should have been home celebrating with your family. Instead you got stuck taking care of me. I'm sorry I messed up your time with your family."

Taking a seat on the bed Dr. Best self-consciously rubbed the back of his head. "You didn't mess up my Christmas, son. In fact being around you and your family is one of the best presents you could have given me." Bubba assured the youngest. "You see, my family was killed a long time ago. It happened back when I was a resident here. It was Christmas Eve and I was stuck working so my wife decided to take the kids to her mother's house for the holiday. She figured we could have a family celebration in a couple of days when I got off work. Anyway it was snowing and the roads were rough going which made driving hard especially with three excited kids in the back of the car. But my Julie was an excellent driver. She had almost made it to her mom's before some drunk driver veered into her lane. His big rig slammed into her little family car; killed Julie and our kids on impact."

"I'm sorry" Sammy whispered.

"It's okay sport. I made my peace with it years ago." Bubba quietly said. "The holidays still get to me, though. It's tough going from a full house to an empty one. This is usually one of the worst days for me. You, my dear boy, have changed that. You kept this old man from wallowing in his grief. Being around you and your brother has reminded me of just how wonderful it feels to be part of a family, even if it is just for a little while. And for that I thank you."

"Bubba" Pastor Jim called out breaking the silence that had enveloped the room after the doctor's speech. "Do you still have that cabin up by the lake?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I'm headed up there tomorrow after I get Sammy here taken care of." Bubba replied. "Why?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you go up there every year." The pastor fibbed. "Just ignore my question. I'll figure something out."

"You're not getting out of it that easy, Jimmy." Dr. Best said shaking his head. "Now spill. Why did you want to know about the cabin?"

Jim fought to keep the smile off his face. His friend had fallen right into his trap just as he knew he would. "Well, I thought when Sammy was released, I would take the boys somewhere to rest and recuperate. And I thought your cabin would be the perfect place. But don't worry, I can find another…"

"Y'all are more than welcome to come with me!" Bubba broke in eyes lighting up at the prospect of having children under his roof once more. "I'd love the company."

"Are you sure?" Pastor Jim questioned. "We wouldn't want to intrude."

"P-lease" Dr. Best said rolling his eyes. "You'd be doing this old man a favor. I bet Dean and Caleb could chop more wood in a day than I could in a week. And you could do the cooking. I could actually sit back and relax for once. Come on Jimmy. What do ya say?"

Pastor Jim ran a hand across his face pretending to consider the offer for a minute before smiling at his friend. "I think you've got yourself a deal, old man." He agreed.

"Great! I'll call a friend of mine and make sure everything's ready for us." Bubba replied as he stood. "I've gotta go finish my rounds now. You boys don't keep Sammy up too long after supper. He's got some tests to do first thing in the morning. And then with any luck I'll be able to spring him by lunchtime and we can head to the cabin then."

"You mean it? I can leave tomorrow?" Sammy hesitantly asked.

"As long as the tests come out okay, you're good to go, sport." Bubba assured the young teen. "You just follow my orders and you'll be out of here and back on your feet in no time."

"Thanks Bubba" Dean said as he watched a dimpled grin light up his little brother's face.

"Anytime, dude" Dr. Best replied. He high fived Dean and then turned and made his way to the door.

"Hold up, Bubba. I'll walk you out." Jim called from his spot on the couch. Looking at Dean and Caleb he whispered, "Be right back boys. I've got a call to make." Getting a nod from both boys the pastor hurried over to the door and followed the doctor out. Things were working out perfectly.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

AN- I know I said the doctor will spill about Sammy's eyesight in this chapter but it just didn't happen. Josh and Bobby kind of took this one over.

Previously on Supernatural- Getting a nod from both boys the pastor hurried over to the door and followed the doctor out. Things were working out perfectly.

SPN

Morning came far too soon for Sammy's liking. Being sick and in the hospital was always an ordeal for the preteen. But this stay was turning out to be the worst ever. The mere thought of being separated from his big brother while strangers he couldn't see did God only knows what to him terrified the youngest Winchester. He knew he shouldn't be scared; knew Dean would never let anyone hurt him. But even that reassuring thought didn't help now; not when everything was so different. Not being able to see what the doctors were doing or what they were about to use on him upped his childhood fear sending it skyrocketing. He shivered as he thought about the exams and tests to come.

"Sammy, are you cold kiddo?" Dean worriedly called out after he felt the tremors running though his little brother. Picking up the edge of the blanket he pulled it up a little more and tucked it tightly around his sibling.

"Yeah" Sam fibbed not wanting his big brother to know he was afraid.

"You should've said something, buddy." Dean lightly scolded as he grabbed the extra blanket one of the nurses had brought in last night. Unfolding the thin sheet he placed it over his ailing brother pulling it up to the boy's chin. "There you go, Sammy. That better?"

"Yeah, thanks Dean." Sam replied giving his brother a small smile.

"No problem man" Dean said as he adjusted the younger boy's covers. "Just hang in there a little longer Sammy. The nurse is gonna take the IV out once this bag finishes and it's almost through. Then you'll be able to really warm up."

"Did, did she say, ummm" Sammy stuttered stopping as the door creaked open and squeaky shoes announced the arrival of one of the hospital staff.

"Good morning boys. I'm Nurse Rene." The heavyset brunette greeted. She walked over to the small table in the corner, placed the tray she was carrying onto it, and rolled it over to the bed. Taking the cover off the breakfast plate she set it aside before moving over to the IV pole. "I'm going to take the IV out now sweetie." She warned before stopping the flow and unhooking the youngster from the equipment. "Dr. Best wants the port in your hand to stay for now just in case. He said he didn't want to have to stick you again if he could help it. And he wanted you boys to know that he'll be coming to get Sam for the tests in about an hour. He wanted you to have time to eat something first. Would you like me to help you with your breakfast honey?"

"Thanks, but I've got it." Dean told the motherly nurse.

"Alright, I'll be going then." Nurse Rene stated as she headed for the door. "If you need anything, just hit the call button, okay?"

"We will." Dean assured. He waited for the nurse to leave before glancing down at the plate of food. Grimacing at the runny eggs and watery grits he stuck at his tongue in disgust. He was glad Sammy didn't have to look at what he was about to eat. "Well, this looks, ummm, it looks…"

"Nasty?" Sam suggested scrunching up his nose at the smell that wafted up from the nearby plate.

"Well then it's a good thing you don't have to eat it." Caleb broke in as he entered the room McDonald's bag in hand. Setting the bag on the table he quickly snatched up the offending plate and placed it on the small dresser on the other side of the room. He turned back around to find Dean already opening two of the Styrofoam containers. Chuckling at the older brother the family friend added, "No, green eggs and ham for you today, Sam I am. You get the best fast food has to offer; pancakes, sausage, and hash browns."

"Cool! Thanks Caleb!" Sammy called out taking an enormous bite out of the hash brown his brother handed him.

"Not a problem, runt." Caleb replied sitting down on the couch and slicing into his pancakes. "Just don't get use to the curb side service. Once you're back to your old self your gopher here is retiring."

"Yeah right" Dean scoffed dodging the swat Caleb sent his way. Hearing giggling he glanced over mentally cheering at the sight of his little brother's smiling face. Knowing Sammy was worried about the tests the older brother decided a little distraction was in order and he knew just how to do that. After giving Caleb a silent heads up he teased, "Getting slow old man."

Seeing what his friend was up to the young man swiftly joined in. "I'll show you who's old." Caleb growled. Jumping off the couch he grabbed a surprised Dean forcing him back against the hospital bed. Holding the older Winchester in place with one hand Caleb began tickling the teenager with the other. "Come on Sammy! Help me out!" he called. He pushed Dean onto the bed beside his little brother who quickly reached out to help with the tickle attack.

Pastor Jim walked into the room a few minutes later to an all out tickle war. Eyebrows raised he stared at the boys for a moment before loudly clearing his throat halting all three in their tracks. "What in the world do you think you're doing?" he demanded settling his hands on his hips. "Caleb, I'm surprised at you! I thought I'd taught you better than this!" The preacher shook his head at the younger man. "I've told you over and over" he paused breaking into a smile, "you eat your food before you lay into Dean for whatever he's done."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Dean whined. "How do you know I started it?"

"When don't you?" Jim asked laughing at the glare the comment received. "Now come on boys, eat up. There'll be time to finish the war after you've cleaned your plates." He watched as his three charges dutifully picked up their plastic forks and dug into their food once more. He was glad to see Sammy looking so calm and happy. Unfortunately Jim knew it wouldn't last long; not with the doctor coming to get him.

As if summoned by the pastor's thoughts Dr. Best appeared in the doorway moments later. He walked over to the youngest Winchester's bed followed by another doctor. "Good morning gentlemen" he greeted. "I see you boys wisely chose to go out to eat this morning."

"Yeah, I figured Sammy might like something with a little taste to it." Caleb explained ruffling the youngster's hair.

"Great idea young man. Just wish you'd thought to bring me some. That cafeteria breakfast wasn't fit for dogs." Bubba joked.

"Come on Bubba. It wasn't that bad." The tall dark haired physician beside Dr. Best argued.

"**Says the guy who'll eat anything." Bubba good naturedly fired back. "Guess introductions are in order. The human garbage disposal here is Dr. Fredrick. He's going to be helping with Sammy's tests today. That alright with you, son?"**

"**I g-guess so" Sammy replied trying hard to remain stoic and failing miserably.**

"**Well then if you and Dean are ready, we'll get this show on the road." Dr. Best said.**

"**Dean's going with me?" Sammy softly questioned. "Really?"**

"**Yes, he is." The doctor confirmed. "Unless you don't want him…"**

"**No!" Sammy shouted. Blushing he quickly stammered, "I, I mean, its okay if he goes."**

"**Glad that's settled." Dr. Best teased stepping back a little as a couple of orderlies came into the room with a gurney. "Now let's go get these tests done so we can get outta here." He turned to Pastor Jim as Dean got Sammy situated on the gurney. "The tests are probably gonna take a few hours. Why don't you guys go out for a little while? I hear there's a big after Christmas sale going on at the mall."**

"**I think we'll do just that." Jim replied with a knowing smile. "Have someone call us when the tests are almost done. I don't want the boys coming back to an empty room."**

"**Consider it done" Bubba agreed. He patted his old friend on the back and then went over to his patient and his brother. "Okay gentlemen, let's go." He said as he walked to the end of the gurney. The doctor held the door for the orderlies and their load before going out the door himself leaving Jim and Caleb in the empty room alone.**

**SPN**

**Bobby glanced up as Joshua wearily trudged into Pastor Jim's modest kitchen. Dropping his gaze back to the newspaper in his hands he asked, "John okay?"**

Glaring at his old friend Josh grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of the strong brew. He replaced the glass pot and shuffled over to the table dropping onto the chair across from the junk yard owner before answering. "He'll be fine, no thanks to you. Won't be winning any GQ awards anytime soon but he'll live." He muttered taking a swig of his coffee. "Did you have to hit him so hard?"

"Hey, you can't blame that on me. I barely swung my arm on that one." Bobby argued. "I can't help it if the pansy lost his balance and used a glass top table to break his fall. The man's a hunter. He should be able to take a little love tap without keeling over."

"A little love tap!" Josh scoffed slamming his coffee mug down on the table. Hissing as the scolding liquid sloshed over the lip of the cup and splashed onto his hand he grabbed a handful of napkins from their holder and hurriedly wiped the hot coffee off his fingers. Tossing the used napkins across the room he glared over at Bobby. "You hit him with a frying pan!"

"It was a light weight one. Sammy hits harder than that crappy thing." Bobby shot back.

"It's a metal pan!" Josh hollered.

"Well, you told me not to put my hands on the fool!" Bobby reminded crossing his arms. "So I had to improvise."

"You knew what I meant!" Joshua growled.

"Maybe" the salvage owner replied smirking.

"Shit!" the older man exclaimed throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "Are you sure Dean's not yours cause you sound just like him?"

"Thanks, I'd like to think I had some influence on the boys." Bobby snarked.

Shaking his head Joshua ran a hand across his face. He closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten then twenty to calm himself down before speaking again. Seeing the mischievous grin on his old friend's face he sighed. "Are you done?" he huffed. "Got it all out of your system now?"

Bobby cocked his head to the side in thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so." He replied.

"Good" Josh said, "Then can we get back to the problem at hand?"

"Which is?" Bobby prodded.

"What to do about John?" the older man clarified. "With the bruises on his face and the stitched cut above his left eye we're gonna have to keep him away from the boys for longer than we figured."

"Why? Dean and Sammy have seen him hurt before." The junk yard owner pointed out.

"Yeah" Josh conceded. "But if Johnny goes to see Sammy looking like that the kid's not gonna believe a word the man says and you know it. Hell, its gonna be hard enough to get Little Bit to believe John as it is. You know how the little guy's mind works."

"Crap! I didn't think about that!" Bobby muttered. He looked down at his coffee mug as he slowly turned it around in his hands. "I should have just taken him away when I had the chance. Sammy wouldn't be in this mess if I had."

"What?" Joshua questioned. "What are you talking about old man?"

Keeping his gaze on his mug Bobby let out an angry breath and began. "It, uhhh I guess it was about five months ago now. I got an early morning call from Johnny saying they were headed my way; about a half hour away. I knew something had to be seriously wrong so I got myself outta bed and prepared for the worst. About twenty minutes later the impala barreled up to the porch. Before I can even get to the steps a pissed John is on his way up dragging Sammy along behind him. He was holding the kid's arm so tight that Sam had a hand shaped bruise around his bicep for days after. Anyways, he storms into my house yanking Sammy in behind him. He yelled at the little guy to "get his ass up to their room" and that he'd "deal with him later". John didn't even wait for Sam to get out of the room before telling me that Dean had gotten hurt on their hunt because "his youngest disobeyed his orders". He said he needed to take Dean to get a broken arm cast and could I keep an eye on Sammy till they got back."

"Why didn't he stop at the hospital first?" Josh asked.

"I asked the same thing. John told me he couldn't sit in the waiting room with Sammy; that the kid needed to get out of his sight before he did something they'd both regret." Bobby explained. "I must have been really tired that morning 'cause I didn't lay into him about what he was saying. I just told him to go get Dean taken care of. I waited for him to leave and then went up to check on Sammy. I knew the kid was probably feeling guilty about whatever happened and I figured he needed someone to talk to. When I didn't find him in their bedroom, I went straight to the bathroom. I knocked on the door and asked if he was okay. Sammy called back that he was fine which we both know is Winchester speak for 'Hell no'. Bobby paused for a moment trying desperately to reign in the flurry of emotions the memory was bringing up. After a few deep breaths Bobby raised his head allowing his friend to see the anguish on his face. "You know, to this day I still don't know what they were hunting that night. But if I could have gotten my hands on the thing I would've ripped it to shreds with my bare hands for what it did to Sammy."

_October 1995_

Shaking his head at the muffled "I'm fine" from the bathroom Bobby grabbed the door knob and threw open the door. He sucked in a horrified breath as he stared at the youngest Winchester. Four long slash marks crossed the pre-teen's back from his left shoulder to his right side. The angry red slashes were deep and still oozing blood in a couple of spots. Mentally cursing John Winchester Bobby hurried over to the injured boy. Gently taking hold of Sammy's elbow he led the boy to the toilet and sat him down. "What happened Sammy?" he asked as he examined the obvious claw marks.

"D-dad and De, Dean had a hunt. I, I don't know what they were a-after. Dad wouldn't, wouldn't tell me. I know it was k-ki-hurting kids cause I saw a couple of the news clippings dad was l-looking at. D-Dean told me it was a simple h-hunt but I could tell he was w-worried." Sammy stammered.

"Wait you mean to tell me your daddy took you on a hunt for a creature that was taking kids?!" Bobby angrily growled. "Why the Hell would he do that?!"

"D-dad didn't t-take me on the h-hunt. He, he made me go and s-s-sit in the car cause, cause he was worried I'd do something st-stupid and some-somebody would f-find out I was, was a-alone and call CPS."

"I thought Dean told me you'd been out of school all week sick?" Bobby questioned as he held a towel to the bleeding gashes.

"I-I was" Sammy replied wrapping his arms around himself. "Dean said that's why dad was making me go but I knew better. I, I'd heard them talking about it earlier."

"Sammy, you know your daddy didn't mean it like that." Bobby assured.

"Yeah, right" the young boy whispered dropping his gaze to the floor. "Anyway, dad w-woke me up about mid-midnight and told me to get r-ready. We drove to the, the edge of town and p-parked on this dirt path by these w-w-woods. D-dad told me to st-stay in the car no matter what and then they, they left. I, I didn't get outta the c-car. I swear I didn't Uncle Bobby. I didn't even touch the d-d-door. Honest!"

"I believe you kiddo. I know you wouldn't do that." Bobby assured the frantic youngster. "Can you tell me what happened next?"

"I don't know" Sammy miserably admitted. "The last thing I re-remember is watching them walk into the trees. I musta fell a-asleep. I only w-woke up when that, that thing was dragging me outta the c-car by my legs. I st-started kicking and and punching and I musta surprised it cause the thing let go. I ran but it, it…"

"That how you got these?" Bobby asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes sir" Sammy automatically replied. "It drug me through the woods, u-used me as bait to get dad and D-Dean."

"And that's when Dean got hurt." Bobby filled in when the preteen didn't continue. Getting a slight nod in return the man sighed. "Sammy, what happened to Dean wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

"Yes, it was Uncle Bobby. Dad said Dean would have been alright if it wasn't for me getting caught. " Sammy refuted.

"Sammy you couldn't have stopped what happened. It wasn't your fault son." Bobby assured his nephew.

"It got me cause I let my guard down. It wouldn't have gotten the drop on Dean." Sam softly mumbled.

Hating the defeated tone in the boy's voice Bobby gently squeezed Sammy's uninjured shoulder. He'd be having a conversation with John about this later on but right now there were more immediate concerns to deal with. Keeping the towel firmly against the seeping wounds the hunter rose preparing himself to help the youngster downstairs and out to his truck. "Come on Sammy, we need to get you to the hospital." He softly said, "I don't know why your daddy didn't take you with'em in the first place." Feeling the preteen tense Bobby stared down at the littlest Winchester in shock. "He didn't know you were hurt, did he?" he gruffly asked. Getting a slight nod the surrogate uncle hit the roof. "You didn't tell him?! Why the Hell not, Sammy?!"

Flinching at the angry voice Sam shrugged his shoulders. "It wouldn't have mattered." He frankly replied.

"Wouldn't have…Sammy, son that has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard you say." Bobby admonished kneeling down in front of the boy. "Of course it would matter; you matter. You're his son."

"No, no it wouldn't" Sam argued shaking his head emphatically. "Not anymore."

Genuinely confused by the teen's conviction the salvage owner softened his tone and asked the only question he could think of at the moment. "Why do you think that, Sammy?"

"C-cause, it's true" the youngest Winchester miserably stated. "Dad doesn't want to hear about me getting injured anymore. When I started training, I'd tell him if I got hurt and at first he'd take care of it. But then he changed; started telling me to quit being a baby and to suck it up. He doesn't even check to make sure I'm okay after a hunt; just calls out, "You okay, Sammy?" and keeps walking. You know he checks Dean for injuries after bad hunts? Dean so much as trips and falls and dad's all over him once we get back to the motel."

"That's cause your brother has a bad habit of hiding his injuries." The surrogate uncle pointed out. "Just like somebody else I know. Guess John will have to start checking both of you from now on."

"No, he won't." Sammy argued. "D-dad already knows about me, he just doesn't, doesn't care. Dean's caught m-me a couple of t-times and told d-dad. All it does is tick him off."

Bobby mentally winced at the boy's statement. He had no doubts it was true just not for the reasons Sammy thought. John had fallen back on his military training using the chain of command he'd been taught for hunting. Once Sammy learned about the supernatural world he'd started treating his sons like soldiers with Dean automatically becoming his second in command. Which meant John dealt with Dean and left Dean to take care of Sammy. No wonder the kid was such a mess. Sammy probably felt like he'd gone to bed one night with Dr. Jekyll sleeping in the bed beside him only to wake up and find Mr. Hyde in his place. Bobby's heart broke as a tear slowly rolled down Sam's cheek. He knew that Dean had to be bad off to allow his father to help him and that that would have freaked John out. But that didn't stop his blood from boiling; not when he was watching the man's youngest fall apart. He fumbled for something to say only to be cut off as Sammy spoke once more.

"You know, d-dad used to ask me about stuff all the time." Sammy whispered. "Before I knew what he did that is. As soon as d-dad got back from a hunt he, he'd sit down with me and Dean and, and he'd ask about what we had done while he was g-gone. He, he always checked over every cut and sc-scrape I had. And he k-kissed every one even af-after I told him I was too b-big for it. Now, he, he barely speaks to me and the only time he touches me is when, when he's mad." Sniffing Sammy slid off the toilet seat crawling into a surprised Bobby's lap. Leaning against his uncle's chest the littlest Winchester quietly said, "I, I just want my daddy back."

_Present_

John's hand dropped as he fell against the wall. He'd had no idea his baby felt that way. Bobby had told him about Sammy's confession but he'd evidently left some key parts out. John remembered every detail of that hunt clearly. He also remembered spending the following week at Bobby's. It had been one of the best weeks he'd had in a long time. Come to think of it that was probably the last time he'd seen his Sammy happy. Sinking down to the floor John dropped his head into his hands. "Oh God Mary! What have I done?" he cried.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Sinking down to the floor John dropped his head into his hands. "Oh God Mary! What have I done?" he cried.

SPN

Caleb smirked as he glanced over at the sea of cars filling the local mall's parking lot. He could just imagine all the disgruntled guys sitting on chairs and benches in the various stores while their wives tried on the entire selection of clothing looking for that so called perfect fit. The only thing worse than the sales on the day after Christmas were the ones the day after Thanksgiving. You couldn't pay him enough to fight the crowds on those days. He was just thankful Jim didn't like shopping in the mall; he didn't know what he'd do if he had to…his thoughts ground to a halt as the truck he was riding in turned into the packed parking lot. "Jim? We're not really gonna go in there are we?" he asked staring incredulously at his friend. "It's full of after Christmas shoppers!"

"We'll be fine, Caleb" Pastor Jim assured the younger man as he parked Joshua's truck. "I know it's a bit busy but there's several items we need to pick up and we don't have time to drive all around town to get them. Sammy and Dean will be back in their room soon and I for one intend to be there when they arrive."

"Me too" Caleb agreed. Getting out of the truck he slowly shuffled around to the driver's side. "I just…Are you sure this is necessary? Can't we find what we need at one of those local stores you're so fond of?"

"Sorry Caleb, no can do. I'm afraid the mall's a necessary evil today." Jim replied as he headed toward the mall entrance. "Now get a move on. We've got a lot of shopping to do."

SPN

Joshua was stunned into silence as Bobby relayed the horrible tale of that morning not so long ago. He'd know things were bad between John and Sammy for a while now but he thought it was just the usual growing pains that all preteens went through. After all John and Dean had gone through a bit of a rough patch when Dean was around Sammy's age. Of course Dean's arguments had stemmed from the fact that he thought he was old enough to be included on every hunt. The kid had gone so far as to follow his dad on a Kelpie hunt thinking he could prove himself. Damn fool found out just how wrong he was. If Johnny hadn't spotted him when he did, Sammy would have been an only child. That had been the end of his "I know better than you" stage. Dean had been following his father's orders to the letter ever since.

But this deal with Sammy wasn't like that. In fact it wasn't a case of teenage rebellion at all. It sounded more like emotional abuse to him. Sammy had evidently been ignored, yelled at, and punished so much that the little guy actually thought his daddy didn't care about him anymore. His anger rose until he couldn't hold it back. Slamming his coffee mug onto the table he forcefully pushed his chair back, stood, and stomped towards the stove.

Bobby eyed his friend warily. "Where're you going, Josh?" he asked.

"To get the frying pan" the older man gruffly answered.

"Now wait a minute Josh" Bobby calmly advised as he got to his feet. "You need to…" The rest of his suggestion was drowned out by the sound of glass shattering in the other room. The junk yard owner cast a worried glance at his friend before hurrying over to the kitchen door gun in hand. Stopping beside the partially open door he leaned over listening for any out of place sound. Hearing nothing he looked back at Joshua who was now standing behind him. Holding up three fingers he slowly counted down to zero and then threw open the door.

SPN

After two hours of shopping in store after store, Caleb was sure of two things; he was not shopping in the mall ever again and he was never having kids. He had never seen so many crying whiny brats in his whole life. It was the day after Christmas for Pete's sake! The little buggers should be home playing with all their bright shiny new toys; not pouting and pitching fits over crap they didn't get. Sure he didn't have any biological siblings to compare them too. But he did have Dean and Sammy. They were like little brothers to him and he'd never seen either one of them act like these spoiled brats. He'd been on outings with them plenty of times and the two of them never asked for a thing. Heck he'd even been to toy stores with them when the two were way younger and had a great time. They'd point out toys that they wanted Santa to bring them and stuff like that but they never asked him to buy them a thing. They left the stores just as happy as they'd gone in even though they hadn't bought a single toy. Huh, maybe it wasn't the kids? Maybe it was all in how you raised them? He'd have to do more research on the subject he decided winking at the shapely young blonde staring at him. Grinning as the young lady blushed and quickly looked away Caleb started walking her way only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning he gazed into the panicked face of Pastor Jim. Immediately on alert he asked, "What's wrong?"

"We've got to get back to the hospital! Something's happened!" Jim explained holding up his cell phone with the text message "SOS" flashing on the screen. Grabbing up his purchases the pastor hurried to the mall exit with Caleb right on his heels.

SPN

"Johnny, what the hell were you thinking?!" Joshua barked as he finished wrapping the younger man's hand.

"I, I wasn't" John quietly replied keeping his gaze on the carpeted floor.

"You got that right." Bobby agreed throwing the last of the broken glass in the trash can. "If you're that ticked at us, you could have at least broken something of ours. That mirror belonged to the church, you moron." Seeing his friend's mouth move but not hearing the mumbled words he set the broom and dust pan against the wall and stormed over to the couch. Stopping right in front of the Winchester patriarch he growled, "What did you say?"

"I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just, I couldn't stand to see myself after what I did." John whispered looking up at his friends for the first time since they'd entered the room.

Bobby and Josh stared at the brokenhearted man before them in shock. The man's red rimmed eyes were filled with guilt and pain; a look they'd never seen on the hardened hunter. Recovering quickly Joshua patted the oldest Winchester's back. "Bout time you came around." He softly said. "Now we can start figuring out how to fix this mess you've made."

"I'm not sure I can." John brokenly admitted. "Sammy thinks I don't care about him. My baby boy thinks I hate him. How am I gonna fix that? What can I possibly say to make things right?"

"So, what? You just gonna give up? Is that it?" Bobby angrily huffed.

"No, no I'm gonna, I'm not giving up, Bobby. Dean and Sammy are my sons and I love them no matter what anybody thinks." John swore.

"Good" Josh stated. "Cause I would've hated to have to knock some sense into you. Many more bandages and you'll look like a mummy and I don't think that would help the situation." Seeing the twin glares leveled his way the older hunter shrugged. "What? I'm not good with this chick flick crap, okay?"

"Not the time, Josh" Bobby scolded before turning to John. "So, what's the plan? How are you gonna fix this cause I can tell you right now it's not gonna be easy."

"I know" John admitted dropping his gaze once more. "But I plan on doing whatever it takes to get my boys back. I'll even give up hunting for a while if that's what they need. But for right now I think the best thing for them is some, some time away from me." Seeing Bobby about to protest he held up a hand. "You know it's the truth, Bobby. Sammy panics just hearing my voice. There's no way I can be near him now."

"He's right." Josh agreed. "Little Bit's too upset right now. He's gonna need time and a boatload of reassurance before he's ready to be with his dad again."

"Yeah, I guess." Bobby reluctantly muttered.

"Now that that's settled, I have a favor to ask." John said looking up at Bobby once more. "I need you to go be with my boys. Sammy's gonna need a father figure to help him through this and no offense to Jim, but he's not it. Don't get me wrong, the boys love Jim but they think of him more as an uncle. You've always been like a second father to Dean and Sammy. Hell most of the time you've been a better father to the boys than I have."

"John, I, I don't know…"

"Just say you'll take care of my boys for me." John pleaded turning his own version of Sammy's puppy dog look on the older man.

"Alright, I'll go." Bobby agreed starting for the door. "Just do me and the boys a favor and hurry up and get your head on straight."

"Will do" John called after him. "Thanks, Bobby"

SPN

Jim and Caleb raced out of the elevator and around the nurse's station. Spotting Bubba talking to a nurse in front of the youngest Winchester's room the hunters hurried down the hall sliding to a stop at the physician's side. "Bubba, what's going on?" Jim breathlessly asked. "Did something happen to Sammy?"

Dr. Best turned a sympathetic gaze on his old friend. Motioning to the chairs against the wall he said, "Jim, I think you better sit down."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

AN- Just wanted to warn you that I'm leaving Tuesday to go to a funeral and I won't be back till sometime Saturday. I'm going to try my best to get the other stories updated before I go.

Previously on Supernatural- Dr. Best turned a sympathetic gaze on his old friend. Motioning to the chairs against the wall he said, "Jim, I think you better sit down."

SPN

Caleb followed Jim and the doctor across the hall and dropped onto one of the hard backed chairs. "What is it, Dr. Best? Is Sammy alright? What happened?" he babbled before sucking in a breath. "Oh, no! It's his sight, isn't it? He's not going to be blind permanently, is he? Please, tell me that's not it!"

"Caleb, stop!" Jim ordered placing a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Give Bubba a chance to speak." Getting a shaky nod in response the pastor smiled and then turned his gaze to the physician sitting quietly beside him. "What's wrong, Bubba? Is it Sammy's eyesight?"

"No" Bubba firmly stated. "I actually have some good news for you on that front. After conducting thorough tests, Dr. Fredrick has determined that Sammy is suffering from Conversion disorder, better known as Hysterical Blindness. The condition doesn't usually last long, most times it only takes a couple of days to a week for the patient to regain their sight."

"But if that's the case, then why send the S.O.S.?" Caleb questioned. "What aren't you telling us?"

"That's what I'd like to know." A gruff voice from behind the trio growled startling the small group.

Spinning around in his chair Jim looked up into the worried face of Bobby Singer. "Bobby? What are you doing here?" he asked with a frown.

"I'll explain later. Right now I wanna know what's going on." the salvage owner demanded.

Dr. Best glanced at all three men. He had a feeling this was not going to go over well. Sighing he locked gazes with Jim and said, "I'm afraid there was a little incident in the x-ray department."

"What kind of incident?" Bobby snapped.

Bubba pinched the bridge of his nose attempting to ward off the headache that was presently making itself known. He hated having to deliver news like this; but it had to be done. Taking a deep breath the physician began to explain. "It started about an hour ago. I wanted to get a couple of x-rays of Sammy's chest to make sure the pneumonia was clearing up so we detoured to radiology before heading back to the room…"

Earlier that day

"Well, here we are gentlemen" Dr. Best said stopping in front of the doors to the radiology department. "Dean, if you'll wait for us over there in the chairs, Sammy and I will head on in."

"You sure I can't go with you?" Dean asked as he gazed worriedly down at his little brother.

"Afraid not" Bubba replied. "But don't worry Sammy here is in good hands. I'll be with him the whole time."

"Okay" Dean agreed. He reluctantly released his grip on his brother's hand. Gently patting his sibling's chest he leaned down and whispered, "Its gonna be alright Sammy. You'll be back out here with me before you know it." Standing Dean ruffled Sam's hair before taking a step back as Dr. Best started wheeling his brother through the doors. "Be good for Bubba" he called just as the doors closed. Sighing the oldest Winchester turned and trudged over to the chairs by the wall to wait.

SPN

Dr. Best and the orderly carefully transferred Sammy from the gurney to the cold, metal x-ray table making sure to warn the young patient before they touched him. Once the youngster was settled the orderly pushed the gurney over to one side and exited the room nodding at the young black haired man that walked in from a small side room. The tall thin man stepped over to Bubba smiling at the older man. "Morning Bubba" he greeted.

"Good morning Mark" Bubba said clapping his friend on the back. "Sammy, this is Mark, our best x-ray technician and the head geek of the hospital."

"Hey!" Mark objected.

"What? It's the truth." Dr. Best innocently asked smiling as his young patient giggled. "I'm not kidding, Sammy. You ever see that Star Trek show?" Getting a nod he continued, "Well, Mark here makes Mr. Spock look like a playboy."

"I do not!" the x-ray tech argued.

"Mark, you spend Friday nights at the library reading." Bubba reminded.

"What's wrong with that?" Mark and Sammy questioned.

"Oh crap! Not you too!" Bubba groaned.

"Face it man, you're outnumbered." Mark teased as he started setting up.

"Not for long. Sammy's only twelve. A few more years and he'll be on my side." Dr. Best boasted as he gazed down at the young boy. His plan had worked. The kid looked more relaxed than he'd been all morning; a little too relaxed from the yawning he was doing. Deciding he needed to speed things along Bubba quickly explained the x-ray procedure to Sammy. Taking the lead jacket from Mark he pulled it on before patting his patient's shoulder. "Okay Sammy, I have to step back a little while Mark takes the x-ray. But I won't be far."

"Its okay, Bubba. I've done this before." Sammy assured the physician.

"Good man" Dr. Best said. He turned and slowly walked over to the adjoining room whistling loudly as he went.

"Alright Sammy, I'm going to go in the other room now. Lay still and when I give the word I want you to take a breath and hold it for me, okay?" Mark instructed as he positioned the machine.

"Okay" Sammy agreed. He listened as the tech's footsteps retreated and the room grew quiet except for Dr. Best's whistling. Sammy smiled knowing that was Bubba's way of letting him know he was close by; that he wasn't alone. And he couldn't have been more grateful. Feeling alone was one of the worst parts of being blind and he was glad Jim's friend was aware of that and doing everything he could to make sure Sam knew he wasn't by himself. Mark's voice drew him out of his thoughts. Focusing back on the task at hand the littlest Winchester followed the technician's instructions letting out a sigh of relief when the x-ray was done.

"Okay Sammy, just one more and you can go." Mark advised as he walked back into the room. "I need you to roll over onto your left side for me. Good. Now let's put your arms up here so they're out of the way. Alright, let me get a new film and we'll be good to go."

Dr. Best watched as Mark helped Sammy get into position before walking over to the cabinets for another x-ray film. Hearing the door behind him open he turned smiling as a petite blonde nurse entered the room x-ray folders in hand. "Morning Anne" he greeted. "Somebody call in sick. I thought you told me yesterday that you had the day off."

"I did. But Melissa called in sick so here I am." The twenty something nurse replied clutching the folders tightly. "I have to give these to Mark. Nice to see you Dr. Best."

Anne walked into the x-ray room and straight over to the table. Stopping behind Mark she loudly cleared her throat. "Excuse me Mark. I have some films for you to look at." She announced.

"Just leave them on the desk. I'll check them when I get done with Sammy here." Mark instructed as he slid the new film into place and turned around.

"Sorry, but these are urgent. The doc needs your opinion immediately." Anne said as she shoved the folder into Mark's hands flipping open the cover. Smirking as the young man glanced in shock at the pictures she angrily said, "I thought you might like to see the pictures from last night. You know, when you were supposed to be working."

"Anne, look" Mark began, "Let's not get into this now. I have a patient."

"It's always some excuse with you!" Anne quietly hissed. "I love you, you know. I've tried every way I could think of to show you but you never seemed to notice! I thought maybe I was being too subtle so I worked up the courage to ask you out and do you remember what you told me? You said that you weren't looking for a relationship right now! You turned me away just like that! I tried to be strong; to give you time. I knew we were meant to be together; that in time you would come to me and we would have our happily ever after. But then I walked by "The Garden" restaurant last night and saw you and that tramp Melissa and I knew; I knew it was over."

"Anne, please" Mark pleaded, "let's take this out…"

"Sorry Mark" Anne broke in smiling brokenly at the man in front of her. "I know you're upset and confused but I know what I have to do now. Don't worry it won't hurt a bit. We'll going to be together forever, my love." Reaching into the pocket of her uniform she pulled out a handgun and fired.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural-"Sorry Mark" Anne broke in smiling brokenly at the man in front of her. "I know you're upset and confused but I know what I have to do now. Don't worry it won't hurt a bit. We'll going to be together forever, my love." Reaching into the pocket of her uniform she pulled out a handgun and fired.

SPN

"Dear Lord!" Jim gasped. "She shot the poor man for going out! Is he alright? And what about Sammy? The boy had to be terrified hearing the shooting!"

"Is Sammy alright, doc? That witch didn't shoot him, too did she?" Caleb broke in.

"Come on Bubba! Tell me the boys and Mark are alright." Pastor Jim begged.

"I wish I could. By the time Dean and I managed to get to Anne she had already shot Mark and herself. They both died instantly. There was nothing I could do." Bubba quietly replied. He closed his eyes as he fought to tamp down the emotions that were threatening to break free. Scrubbing a hand across his face he took a deep breath forcing the swirling emotions to the side. He needed to don his professional persona and explain the rest of the incident to his friends. His own grief would have to wait. Pasting a neutral expression on his face he began. "There's more gentlemen. Mark wasn't the only victim. Sammy was shot as well."

"WHAT?" all three hunters shouted. Jumping to their feet the distraught men glared down at the doctor.

Finding his voice Caleb asked the question on all their minds. "But, but Sammy's just a little kid! He didn't do anything to her! Why the heck did she shoot him?"

"Honestly I don't think she meant to. The shots were fired quickly one after the other. I think she was trying to shoot Mark and when he collapsed the next shot missed him hitting Sammy instead." Doctor Best explained.

Staring over at the door that housed his surrogate brothers Caleb wrapped his arms around himself. He couldn't believe the youngest member of his family had been hurt while he was out shopping! He had promised himself that he'd protect the kid after what had happened with John but evidently his promise wasn't worth squat. The littlest Winchester had gotten hurt on his watch while he was out checking out the ladies. Some protector he was. _'Great going, dumba$$.' _He mentally berated shaking his head in disgust.

Sensing Caleb's mood Pastor Jim stepped closer to the young man wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Knowing exactly what was going through his friend's mind the preacher leaned in and whispered, "It's not your fault, Caleb. I'm the one that decided the boys would be safe here alone." Sending up a silent prayer that John's youngest would come through this unscathed Jim turned to the doctor and asked, "How bad is it Bubba? Sammy is going to be alright, isn't he?"

"Sammy's gonna be just fine." Bubba assured the hunters. "The bullet went through Sammy's right side. No vital organs were hit and his ribs were untouched. Dean managed to calm Sammy down enough for me to repair the damage and get Sammy settled back in his room relatively quickly."

"So he's really gonna be okay?" Bobby asked glancing over at the room door.

"Yes, he'll be sore for a while but he should heal completely." Bubba told the hunters. "At least physically that is. Emotionally is a different story. He had only known Mark for a few minutes but the two had already hit it off. They were laughing and joking with me before the shooting. Not to mention the fact that because of the blindness he had no warning of what was about to happen I'm afraid this mess has just added to the boatload of emotional trauma the kid is trying to handle. He's going to need a lot of help and support from all of you to deal with everything that's happened."

"You can count on us Bubba. We'll make sure that boy in there gets all the love and attention he needs." Jim said. "Now if you don't mind, I think I need to see the boys for myself."

"Me too" Caleb seconded as he hurried to the door. Stopping he turned back to Bubba. "I guess this means the cabin's out now, huh?" Caleb sadly questioned. "I mean, Sammy's gonna have to stay here at lot longer now, right?"

"Usually, I would have the patient stay a few days to make sure they were healing and there weren't any complications." Bubba replied nodding his head. "But considering the circumstances, I don't think that would be in Sammy's best interest. Being here is only going to make things harder for him. I think the best thing for Sammy would be to head to the cabin as soon as he wakes up."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Jim asked.

"I'm one hundred percent certain that it's the right move. Being here will just remind Sammy of what happened. It's going to be hard enough for him to handle everything without accidently overhearing people talking about the shooting." Dr. Best pointed out. "Besides, it's not like we'd be taking the little guy away from medical care. I'll be right there to look after Sammy and make sure he's healing like he should."

"What about your superiors? How are you gonna explain releasing a kid who's just been shot?" Bobby questioned.

"Easy, I'll just tell the staff that Sammy's dad signed him out AMA after he found out what happened to his son." Dr. Best told him with a grin. "My superiors will be so worried about a lawsuit they won't question it."

"Figures" Bobby huffed heading for Sam's hospital room once more.

"One more thing, guys." Bubba called out. He waited for the hunters to turn around before hitting them with the last bit of bad news. "The police want to talk to him. I tried talking them out of it. I told them that Sammy wouldn't be able to help them out because of the blindness. And I also informed them that he was too traumatized to speak with them right now. But they're not backing off. They want to talk with him as soon as he comes to."

"They'll have to go through me first." Bobby growled. "There ain't no way in Hell I'm letting them near that boy! Sammy's been through enough as it is! I won't have them making it worse just to satisfy their curiosity." Grabbing the door handle the surrogate father yanked open the door and stepped inside.

Bubba stood and walked over to Jim and Caleb. "I'll go get Sammy's paperwork started." He told Jim. "With any luck we can get him signed out and be halfway to the cabin before the cops realize we've left."

"Thanks Bubba" Jim replied patting his long time friend on the back. "I'm sorry about Mark. I know he was a good friend."

"Yeah he was" Bubba whispered. Scrubbing a hand across his watering eyes the physician cleared his throat. "I'll just g-go get those papers and Sammy's prescriptions now." He said before turning and slowly walking down the hall to the nurse's desk.

Sighing Pastor Jim watched his friend round the corner at the end of the hall and then followed Caleb into the youngest Winchester's room. He shuffled over to the couch against the wall and wearily dropped onto it. "How's Sammy?" he softly asked as he caught Dean's gaze.

"Sleeping. The doc said he's gonna be okay." Dean muttered carding a hand through his brother's chestnut hair.

"What about you?" Bobby questioned. "How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm fine. I'm not the one who got shot." Dean angrily answered.

Knowing Dean's anger was directed at himself and not them Bobby shook his head. John had really done a great job of screwing up both his boys. Well at least this one he could fix. "Dean" he called, Dean son look at me." He waited for the teen to meet his gaze before continuing. "This wasn't your fault. You know that don't you?"

"Yes it was. I was supposed to be looking out for Sammy." Dean argued. "It was my job to protect him, not let him get…"

"Hold it right there son." Bobby gruffly ordered. "Tell me something: did you know that nurse was a nut job?" Getting a soft "no" in reply the salvage owner nodded his head. "Okay, what about the gun? Did you know she had a gun?"

"No! I didn't even see her go in the room!" Dean snapped. Aggravated he jumped up and began pacing the room. "She must have used a back door or something!"

"So just what do you think you could have done, Dean?" Caleb asked. "If you didn't see her, how could you possibly have done anything?"

"You don't understand Caleb! It's my job to watch out for Sammy! That's always been my job!" Dean hissed. "I shouldn't have let him go in that room alone; I should have gone in there with him!"

"Dean, you couldn't go in the x-ray room with him, you know that." Pastor Jim pointed out.

"P.J.'s right Dean." Caleb agreed. Seeing his friend open his mouth to protest he quickly changed tactics. "Hey Dean, you remember the first time your dad left me to watch Sammy?"

Taken aback by the sudden change in topic Dean stared quizzically at the older boy. "Yeah" he replied. "What about it?"

"Don't you remember what happened? I took him to that little playground by the apartments and he fell off the monkey bars and broke his arm." Caleb recounted wincing at the memory of the littlest Winchester crying for Dean and his daddy while clutching his arm. "I was so scared your dad was gonna kill me for letting the little guy get hurt."

"But it wasn't your fault. Sammy's hand slipped; there was nothing you could have done." Dean told him.

"But I was right there on the bench." Caleb argued. "It was my job to watch the kid."

"And you did a great job, Caleb. You got him to the emergency room and kept him calm till dad and I could get there." Dean reminded the hunter. "Dad didn't blame you for what happened and neither did I. It was just a freak accident."

"And so was this." Caleb added. "You couldn't stop this anymore than I could have stopped Sammy from falling that day. The kid was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens all the time."

"But why does it always have to happen to Sammy?" Dean questioned as he took up his spot beside his little brother's bed once more.

"I don't know." Jim spoke up. "Sammy does seem to have the worst luck of all of us."

"Ever since the fire it's like he has a bulls eye painted on his back or something. He's always getting hurt or sick. He-ck he scrapes himself up more than most four year olds." Dean explained taking his brother's hand in his own. Gazing over at the other hunters as an idea popped into his head he hesitantly asked, "Do you think maybe the thing that got mom marked him somehow?"

"No Dean, I'm sure it's nothing like that." Bobby firmly stated. "Sammy's just what my mom used to call a trouble magnet. My little brother was one, too. The kid couldn't go a week without getting banged up some way or another. And he got any little illness that came down the pike. Luckily for him the older he got, the less things happened to him."

"So, he grew out of it?" Dean hopefully asked.

"Sure did and Sammy will too. I'm sure of it." Bobby fibbed crossing his fingers. He smiled as Dean visibly relaxed. It was worth the lie to calm the boy's fears. He just hoped the kid never found out he didn't really have a younger brother. The last thing he needed was an angry Winchester on his a$$.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- He just hoped the kid never found out he didn't really have a younger brother. The last thing he needed was an angry Winchester on his a$$.

SPN

"Lunch is served." Caleb announced as he strode into the room balancing two overflowing bags and a cup carrier in his hands. Snagging the rolling tray table with his foot he kicked it over to the couch and set his load down. Glancing over at the sleeping boy on the bed he sighed. He'd hoped the kid would be awake by the time he came back so they could get out of this place. He really hated hospitals. "Runt's still sleeping, huh?"

"Yeah, he hasn't so much as twitched since you left." Bobby replied. Taking one of the bags he dumped the contents onto the table. The older hunter grabbed a burger for himself and tossed a second one to Dean who easily caught it. "The cops still staring down the door?"

"No, I think dumb and dumber finally gave up. I didn't see them when I got off the elevator and the nurses said the two left right after I did giving them instructions to call the station when Sammy woke up." Caleb told the others.

"Good, then we don't have to worry about the cops." Pastor Jim muttered. Seeing the confused expression on his friends' faces he shrugged. "The nurses have all taken a liking to Sammy. They'd sooner cut off their arm than sic those ruffians on that poor boy."

A moan from the bed silenced the room. Dropping his half eaten burger Dean shuffled over to the bed as quickly as his injured chest would allow. Sitting on the edge he gently brushed a hand down his brother's cheek. "Wake up Sammy. C'mon little brother, show me those puppy dog eyes of yours." He coaxed smiling as Sam's face scrunched up his eyes darting back and forth behind closed lids. "That's it, Sammy! You can do it! Open those eyes, kiddo!"

Sammy shivered as he lay on his side listening to Mark and the nurse talking. Something was wrong, he could tell by the tone of Mark's voice. But without his eyesight he couldn't tell what the problem was. Hearing the angry woman hurl accusations at his new friend the pre teen tensed. He reached out grabbing the back of Mark's lab coat offering his support the only way he could. His grasp tightened as the delusional nurse claimed to know what she had to do and that it wouldn't hurt. He heard cloth rustle and then… "NO!" Sammy shouted bolting straight up in his bed.

Startled by the sudden outburst Dean barely managed to avoid getting head butted by his little brother. Recovering quickly from the surprise he shifted on the bed sliding in behind the younger boy. He wrapped his arms around his sibling being careful of his wounded side. Pulling Sam back against his chest Dean slowly began to rock his terrified brother. "Sammy, Sammy its okay. You're safe." Dean cooed. "Shhh, you're alright. It's all over now."

Bobby and the other men stayed back knowing Dean had things under control. They silently watched as Dean rocked the sobbing boy murmuring quietly in Sammy's ear the entire time. It only took minutes for him to calm his little brother down.

Bobby smiled as Sammy relaxed back against his big brother. It had always amazed the older hunter how quickly the older boy's touch and quiet tone could sooth the youngest Winchester. He'd never seen anything like it. Not even the handful of mothers he knew were able to quiet their children so quickly or easily. The boy would make a wonderful father one day that was for sure.

Dr. Best took a deep breath before walking into Sammy's room. Seeing his young patient embraced in his brother's arms Bubba hurried over to the bed. "What happened?" he asked as he gently took Sammy's hand to check his pulse.

"Sammy just panicked a little when he woke up." Dean softly explained. "But he's alright now. Aren't ya, buddy? Feeling Sam nod the elder Winchester sighed. Looking up at the doctor with his own version of Sammy's puppy dog eyes he asked, "Do you have the papers for us to sign?"

"No, that's why I'm here. The chief of staff said he wants to talk with Sammy's father before he signs the AMA papers. I told him I'd bring Mr. Winchester to his office. But first I want to make sure Sammy didn't pull out any of his stitches." Dr. Best told Dean before turning his attention to his patient. "Sammy, I need you to lay back for me." Seeing the preteen tense he added, "It'll only take a minute, sport. I just need to take a look. No instruments, just my fingers, promise."

Relaxing a fraction at the physician's words Sammy wearily nodded. Releasing his death grip on his brother's shirt he slowly uncurled and lay back down. He gritted his teeth as Dr. Best pulled the gauze off his side and prodded the new wound.

Bubba carefully examined the bullet wound before getting antibiotic ointment and clean gauze out of the cabinet and re-bandaging the wound. "You're in luck Sammy. You didn't pull any stitches loose." The doctor said.

"So, he's good to go?" Dean asked.

"Just as soon as Bobby and I talk to the chief of staff" Dr. Best clarified. "What do you say, Bobby? You up to playing Sammy's dad?"

"You bet." Bobby replied as he stood.

"I think I'd better go with you." Pastor Jim broke in. "After all, I'm the one that signed Sammy's admittance papers."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Bubba agreed. "That'll probably save me a trip back to get you."

Walking to the door Bobby took out his keys. "Caleb, go get the truck started and pull it up to the front." He instructed throwing the keys to the younger man. "We'll be out shortly."

"You got it, man" Caleb retorted. Getting up he put on his jacket and headed for the door. "See you guys in a few minutes."

Dean waited for the others to leave and then walked over to the closet. Grabbing his brother's clothes and shoes he hurried back to the bed. "Let's get you dressed before Bobby and Jim get back." He said setting the clothes on the bed. He helped Sammy sit up and untied the gown before handing the younger boy his shirt. "You need any help?" he asked.

"I can, I can do it." Sammy stammered. He felt along the shirt and then slowly pulled it over his head wincing as the motion pulled on his stitches. Proud of being able to do something himself he grinned up at his big brother. "Dean, I did it!" he beamed.

"You did good kiddo." Dean praised ruffling his brother's hair. "Now how about finishing up before Bobby and Jim get back and catch you in your birthday suit?"

"Deeean!" Sammy huffed turning red. Taking his jeans and boxers he motioned for his brother to turn around. He slid his boxers on and then tossed his blankets to the side. He grabbed his jeans and started pulling them on.

Shaking his head at his little brother's modesty Dean glanced around his side of the room searching for something to occupy his time. Spotting an old car magazine on the nightstand he picked it up and started flipping through the pages. A few minutes later the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Smiling he dropped the magazine on the bed. "That was fast." He said. The smile slid from his face however as he looked over at the two police officers walking his way. Standing Dean automatically placed himself between the officers and his little brother.

"Well, would you look at that? The kid's awake and nobody called us." the black haired officer said with a scowl.

"Yeah, and you know what else? I don't think the kid's blind. He was fastening his jeans just now." the taller, brown haired man added as he strode farther into the room.

Crossing his arms across his chest Dean glared at the newcomers. "You guys need to leave." He growled.

"We will, as soon as we talk to the kid there." The shorter one retorted. "We just need to ask a few questions about the incident earlier. It won't take long as long as Sammy tells the truth and doesn't have anything to hide."

"Sammy's a minor. You can't question him without an adult present." Dean angrily pointed out.

"Oh really" the taller man, Officer Jefferies hissed. "Who are you, his lawyer?"

"No, I'm his older brother, Dean." The teen huffed. "Now leave before I call security."

"Listen punk, you gonna sit you're a$$ down and shut your yap while we question your brother or I'm gonna arrest you for obstructing justice." the other officer ground out walking up and getting right in Dean's face. "Come on kid. Give me an excuse."

"Dean, Dean don't" Sammy anxiously pleaded as he tugged on the back of his brother's shirt. He slid his other hand across the bed feeling for the call button. Finding the cord he clutched it tightly pressing the button with all his might making sure to keep it under the edge of the blanket.

Figuring his partner had the older boy under control Offer Jefferies strolled around the bed. He dropped onto the bed beside Sammy frowning as the kid's eyes darted all around. Holding his hand in front of the boy's face he waved eyebrows rising when the kid didn't flinch. Shrugging it off as unimportant he stared at the youngster. "Alright kid listen up. I want to know what happened in that x-ray room. And before you say anything I'm gonna warn you not to lie to me. I don't want to hear that line of bull that Dr. Best or anybody else told you to say. I want the truth. Got it?" he growled roughly grasping Sammy's arm causing the boy to whimper.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Dean shouted. Kicking the man beside him in the kneecap the older Winchester lunged at the officer that was hurting his little brother. He was almost to Jefferies when he was grabbed from behind by the second officer. Turning Dean blocked a punch aimed at his head before delivering one of his own. In full hunter mode he took on both officers punching and kicking for all he was worth. Knocking one officer to the floor he concentrated on the other. Drawing back his fist he froze as a click sounded beside him. Glancing over he saw Harding, the other officer holding his gun up to Sammy's head.

"That's enough, kid" Officer Harding warned. He kept his gun trained on Sammy while his partner drug Dean to his feet, pulled his hands behind his back, and handcuffed him. Satisfied that the threat was taken care of, Officer Harding set the safety on his weapon before holstering it. Taking hold of Sammy's chin he yanked the boy's head around to face him. "Now, let's start again."

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Dean yelled as he struggled to get away from the officer holding him back.

"Shut it punk!" Officer Jefferies ordered. Deciding he needed to do something about the loud mouth he drew back his fist.

The door suddenly slammed open as a tall imposing figure stepped through. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SONS!" he shouted. Storming into the room he swiftly pulled a revolver from behind his back cocking the hammer with his thumb.

Dean gazed over at the newcomer in surprise. "Dad?"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Dean gazed over at the newcomer in surprise. "Dad?"

SPN

John glared at the two men that were hurting his boys. Zeroing in on the one he considered the biggest threat the angry father aimed his weapon right between the shorter officer's eyes. "Let him go now!" John commanded. "I won't ask again."

Harding smirked at the man and tightened his grip on the boy's chin eliciting a whimper of pain from the preteen. "And just what are you gonna do if I don't?" he sneered. "Call the cops? Oh wait, we're already here."

John narrowed his eyes at the smart mouth. Furious he started towards the man determined to wipe that smug smile right off the guy's face. The sound of heavy footsteps halted his advance.

"Johnny, what are you…" Freezing as he took in the unreal scene before him Joshua struggled to reconcile what he was seeing with what he knew of police procedures. Disbelief quickly turned to anger as the implications of the situation fully hit him. "What the hell is going on here?" he growled pulling his own gun out and kicking the door shut behind him.

Jeffries gulped. He hadn't planned on this. It was just supposed to be a quick interview; get the truth and get out. He wasn't prepared to deal with two gun toting hotheads. Wanting no part of the confrontation the young man released his hold on the handcuffed teenager and slowly raised his arms in surrender. "We'll just be going now. No need for violence gentlemen." He informed the hunters. Turning to his partner he added, "Come on man. It's not worth it."

Harding stared at his partner in disbelief. "You're giving up just like that? What is wrong with you?" he shouted. "We came here to get the truth and we aren't leaving until we get it. Those two yahoos aren't gonna shoot you moron! Not in a hospital and not with the kiddies in the way so get your scrawny butt back over there and let's finish this!"

Shaking his head Jeffries continued to back away from the bed. "I don't want no part of this." He replied keeping his focus on the men with guns. He held the handcuff keys out to John. "Here's the keys, man."

"You traitor!" the shorter man yelled. Letting go of Sammy he lunged at his partner.

Taking advantage of the distraction John and Josh pounced. Fists flying they pummeled the surprised officer. The shorter man was no match for two trained hunters. A few well-placed punches and it was all over. Harding lay in an unconscious heap on the floor with his partner cowering in a corner of the room.

John gave the downed man a last kick in the ribs before turning to his boys. Seeing his youngest in distress he hurried over to the bed tossing the handcuff keys to Josh on the way. "Get those cuffs off Dean. I gotta help Sammy." He called. The Winchester patriarch took a seat on the bed beside the panicking boy. Reaching out he picked Sammy up and settled it in his lap being careful of his son's injuries. He tenderly pulled his youngest against his chest and slowly started rocking humming softly as he did.

Joshua kept one eye on John as he unlocked the cuffs around Dean's wrist and gently pulled them off. "You alright, Dean?" he asked helping the teen to his feet.

"Yeah" Dean distractedly answered his eyes glued to his father and brother. Scooting over to his family he dropped onto the bed by his dad. "It's okay Sammy. It's over now." He soothed carding a hand through his sibling's chestnut locks.

Knowing that the boys were in good hands Josh snatched up the handcuffs and proceeded to cuff the unconscious man's hand to one of the legs of the bed. Hearing the door slam open he glanced up to see Bobby and Jim run in the room followed closely by a scruffy looking man in a white lab coat. "You're a little late for the party." He groused.

Dr. Best stared from the unconscious man on the floor to the one in the corner before his gaze landed on the occupants on the bed. "What's going on in here?" he bellowed.

"I'll tell you what's going on." Dean ground out. "Dumb and dumber over there waltzed into the room and started yelling at Sammy. When I tried to make them leave, they attacked me. And when that didn't work one of 'em held a gun to Sam's head to stop me from…"

"THEY DID WHAT?" echoed through the room.

Sensing movement beside him Pastor Jim swiftly grabbed Bobby's arm. "Don't Bobby" he warned. "We're going to have a hard enough time explaining this to the police as it is. They're not going to take kindly to one of their own being beaten."

"Those two aren't police." Dr. Best interrupted. "That's Ann's brother Jacob on the floor and her cousin Dan in the corner."

"What?" Dean hollered. He made to get up intent on getting to the man whose family had caused his brother so much pain. A weak tug on the back of his shirt quickly stopped him. Turning he found his little brother reaching out for him. Anger forgotten Dean gently lifted Sammy out of his dad's arms. Setting his sibling in his lap he wrapped his arms around the younger boy. "It's okay kiddo. I'm not going anywhere." He assured his little brother.

Hanging up the phone Bubba motioned for the others to meet him by the couch. Once they had all gathered around him the physician started to speak. "Okay, I called security and they're on the way up. They'll take those two to their office to wait for the police there." He quietly explained. "But the police are going to need to talk to Dean and Sammy." Seeing the men about to protest the doctor held up a hand. "I know you don't want to expose Sammy to a police interview especially after what just happened. I feel the same way. But without the boys' statements the only thing the cops can charge those two with is impersonating a police officer. And they'd probably be out in a week's time especially considering the circumstances."

"No" John firmly stated. "My boys are not…"

"I'll do it." A soft voice broke in.

"Are you sure, Sammy? You don't have to, you know?" Dean questioned staring down at his brother in concern.

"Yes, I do" Sammy replied. "I'm the only one who knows exactly what happened in that, that room. If I don't talk to the police, both families always going to have questions about who did what and I won't allow that. I owe it to, to Mark to tell what happened."

Dean smiled proudly down at Sammy. "Okay" He agreed. "But they have to question us together and dad and the others stay in the room. And if it gets to be too much for you, the interview's over. No exceptions."

"That's the only way they'll be talking to either of you." John growled. Hearing the door open he stood placing himself in front of his boys.

"Tom, Ray they're right over there." Dr. Best told the burly uniformed men that walked in.

The security guards nodded. Taking the handcuff keys from Joshua Tom, a forty year old bald headed man, unlocked one of the cuffs. He threaded it back around the bed leg before re-cuffing the unconscious man's hands behind his back.

Ray, the older and bigger guard, walked over to the man in the corner. Grabbing his prisoner under one arm he hauled the man up to his feet. He quickly cuffed the unresisting man's hands behind his back and started leading him out of the room.

Head down Dan shuffled beside the security guard. Getting to the door he stopped. Looking back at the doctor he sadly asked, "Ann really did what you said, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did." Bubba replied.

Dan nodded. "It's just so hard to believe, you know?" he said. "Ann was so happy the last few months. She was always talking about that guy Mark; what a wonderful man he was and how good he treated her. She'd talk for hours about the dates they'd been on and…"

"They never dated." Sammy corrected. Sensing everyone's eyes turn his way he shrugged. "She said she'd been trying for months to get Mark to date her but he always told her no."

"Oh God, then this was all…" Dan's voice broke. Looking at the Winchester brothers he cleared his throat. "I'm so sor-sorry. I didn't mean for all this to happen. We were just supposed to come in, get you to tell the truth, and then leave. I didn't know the gun was real. He told me it was just a prop to make us look more like real police officers. I'd never have gone along with it if I'd known he planned to attack a kid. You gotta believe me."

"Oh, I believe you're sorry alright. Sorry you got caught." Dean angrily answered.

"Dean's right. If you weren't planning on all this, you would have tried to stop your friend the second he pulled the gun not waited until John and I burst in on you." Joshua pointed out.

"Get him out of here, Ray" Dr. Best ordered. "He's caused my patient enough stress already." He watched the two leave and then turned to address the small family. "I've got to go check on my other patients but I'll be back when the police get here. Sammy, I know it's going to be hard but I want you to try to get a little more sleep. Your body needs its rest in order to heal."

"Don't worry doc. I'll make sure short stuff takes a nap." Dean assured earning himself a glare from Sam. Smirking he ruffled his brother's hair before carefully laying the younger teen in the bed.

"Deeeean" Sammy whined as his sibling pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"No talking, sleep" Dean ordered pointing a finger at the squirming boy.

Chuckling at Dean's mother hen routine Pastor Jim stood and grabbed his jacket. "I'm going to go tell Caleb to park the car and come back in." he announced. "He's probably wondering what happened to us."

"Go ahead Jim. We've got this." Josh replied taking a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, we can handle anyone that comes in." John added. "We'll make sure there are no more surprises."

"Uhh, Johnny, there's uhh actually one more little surprise you need to know about." Bobby stammered. "After what happened in the x-ray room, we decided we needed to get Sammy out of here. We were gonna sign him out AMA but the chef of staff refused to even think about it without talking to Sammy's daddy first. So we uhh, we figured it would be alright if I played the part. It was just for a few minutes, mind you, but with the police coming I uhhh, I'm kinda going to have to ummm to beDeanandSammy'sdaddy."

Shaking his head John opened his mouth to tell Bobby exactly what he thought of that idea. There was no way he was allowing Bobby or anyone else to pretend to be Dean and Sammy's father. They were his boys; not Bobby's.

Seeing his dad about to object Dean quickly spoke up. "Dad, please. Dr. Best told the chef of staff Bobby was our father. If that dude comes in while we're talking to the cops or word gets back to him that Bobby isn't, Dr. Best is gonna be in trouble."

John glanced over at his eldest and sighed. He'd never been able to say no to either boys' puppy dog look. "Fine, as long as I get to stay in the room." he agreed.

"Thanks dad. I'd hate for Dr. Best to get in trouble because of us. He's been really good to Sammy." Dean told his father.

"Might as well make yourselves comfortable guys. It's probably gonna be a while." Josh instructed grabbing a magazine. Flicking through the pages of the cars and articles he settled back against the couch to wait for the cops.

SPN

Half an hour later a knock on the door heralded the arrival of the police. Bobby went over to the bed and took a seat beside Sammy as Dr. Best walked into the room followed a well-dressed couple with police badges hanging around their necks.

Taking a deep breath Dean gently shook Sammy's shoulder. "Wake up Sammy. The police are here." He whispered smiling as his little brother groaned and started rubbing his eyes. With his sibling awake Dean turned his attention to the two new comers. The officers looked more like a comedy team than police. The male officer was huge and muscular. The man, who was well over six foot tall, could easily win any body building contest he entered. Just one of his arms was wider than both of Dean's and his legs were the size of tree trunks. But for as intimidating as he looked it was his face that gave him away. His brown eyes and smile told Dean that the guy was nothing but a big teddy bear. His partner was the exact opposite of him. The female officer was a short rotund woman with long strawberry blonde hair that had been braided and pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her bright blue eyes were filled with sympathy and her smile immediately put Dean at ease.

The two officers sat down in the chairs beside the bed. "Good afternoon gentlemen. I'm Officer Mullens and this is Officer Orbach." The woman greeted. "I appreciate you agreeing to meet with us boys. I'm just sorry it has to be under such horrible circumstances."

"Dr. Best tells us that you guys are headed out after our conversation and that you have a long drive ahead of you so we'll try not to keep you too long, okay?" Detective Orbach told the group. Getting twin nods from the teens on the bed he smiled. "Alright then, why don't we start with the incident this morning in the x-ray lab? Sammy, can you tell me what you remember?"

"Ye-yes sir" Sammy replied. Reaching out he tightly grasped Dean and Bobby's hands for support. His dad's hand on his knee calmed him even more. "M-Mark was he-helping me t-turn on my, my side when Ann came i-in. She said she had some, some films or something for him. He told her to put them on her desk but she didn't leave. I heard some papers rustle and M-Mark gasp. She, she said she wanted him to see these pictures; they were either from a restaurant or a garden, I can't remember. I knew something was wrong then 'cause her voice changed; she was angry." Sammy wiped a shaky hand across his eyes and leaned against his brother.

"Alright, that's enough. The interview's over." Dean stated wrapping his arms around his trembling sibling.

"No, I wanna, wanna finish." Sammy argued. "I'm okay Dean, really."

"Are you sure you want to keep going, buddy?" Bobby asked as he carded a hand through the boy's hair. "You don't have to, you know?"

"Your dad's right son" Detective Orbach added. "Between Dr. Best's statement and what you've told us already we have more than enough to put the pieces together and close the case."

"I know but I, I need to finish." Sammy countered. "Please?"

"Okay" the detective agreed. "You said she showed Mark some pictures. What happened after he saw them?"

Sammy took a deep breath and began again. "Mark, he whispered that they needed to talk about it later because of me. But she just started yelling at him about how she had tried everything to get him to notice her and that when she'd asked him out, he'd told her he didn't want a relationship. I think she was mad 'cause she had seen him on a date with somebody else. M-Mark was really freaking out. He pleaded with her to go outside with him but she said she, she knew what she had to do and that they were gonna, gonna be together forever and then she, she…"

"That's when she shot him?" Detective Mullens asked. Getting a slight nod she smiled and closed her notepad. "You did good Sammy."

"You sure did kiddo. I'm so proud of you Sammy." John said patting his son's knee.

Seeing the detectives exchange a confused look Dean quickly stepped in. "Why don't we discuss the other thing outside?" he offered. "I think my brother's been through more than enough for one day."

"I think that's a good idea." Bobby agreed.

"Alright Mr. Winchester. Let's step outside." Detective Orbach said. He stood and headed for the door.

"Sammy, I'll be right back." Dean told his little brother. He carefully scooted out from behind the younger boy and climbed off the bed. He ruffled Sammy's hair before following Bobby and the detectives out the door.

SPN

A half hour later Dean and Bobby solemnly walked back into the crowded room. Seeing the youngest member of their family asleep they silently crept over to the couch where the other hunters were gathered. "He been asleep long?" Dean asked staring at his peaceful sibling.

"No" John whispered. "It's only been about ten minutes since he conked out. He fought it as long as he could. He didn't want to fall asleep before you came back."

"Are you guys finished? Is it alright for us to leave now?" Caleb questioned. "It's starting to get late and Dr. Best's cabin is a couple hours drive from here."

"Yeah, we're done. Josh and I will go get the trucks and meet you at the lobby door." Bobby instructed.

"What about Bubba?" Pastor Jim asked. "I thought he was going with us."

"He is." Dean assured. "He said he was gonna go change and then he'd meet us out front."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Caleb called out. He shoved Bobby and Joshua towards the door. "Snap to it guys. We've got a cabin to get to."

The two older men shoved the young man back before heading out the door plotting their revenge as they went.

"Better watch your back, Caleb" Dean teased as he gathered up the few belongings they had scattered around the room. Stuffing everything into Sammy's duffle he zipped up the bag and shouldered it and then shuffled over to the bed to get his brother.

"Let me get him Dean." John offered coming up behind his eldest.

Dean glanced up at his dad mouth already forming the word no. One look at his dad's version of the kicked puppy expression changed his mind. Nodding he stepped back and watched as his father bundled Sammy in the blanket and then gently picked him up. Shuffling over to the door he held it open for his family before walking through himself. Following his family to the elevators Dean hoped that their time at the cabin would repair the rift between his brother and father and bring his family together once more.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

AN- Hi! Just wanted to say a huge Thank you to everyone for being so patient and understanding. You guys are the best!

And to a certain anonymous reviewer- If you don't like the way I portray the characters, don't read my stories.

Previously on Supernatural- Following his family to the elevators Dean hoped that their time at the cabin would repair the rift between his brother and father and bring his family together once more.

SPN

Dean walked into the bedroom, breakfast tray in hand, and silently made his way over to his sleeping sibling. Setting the tray on the nightstand, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Sammy" he called, gently shaking the younger boy's shoulder. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead."

"Go 'way" Sam mumbled, swatting at his brother's arm. Turning over to escape the annoying shaking, he gasped as he accidently rolled onto his injured side. He quickly flopped onto his back, whimpering and clutching the now throbbing wound.

"Easy, Sammy, easy, just breathe through it, you'll feel better in a minute" Dean softly coached as he carded a hand through the younger boy's long chestnut hair. "That's it, you're doing great buddy." Taking his sibling's hands in his free one, he gently pried them off the boy's side, settling them on Sam's chest instead. Keeping his hand on top of his brother's, Dean continued to murmur encouragement and reassurances until the panting died down and the preteen sank back against the mattress. "Better?"

"Y-yeah" Sammy stammered. Struggling to get himself under control he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Frowning when he noticed something missing, he turned his sightless gaze in what he hoped was his big brother's direction. "Where are we, Dean? This isn't the hospital."

Dean's eyebrows shot up as his brother stared directly at him. "How, how did you?...Is your sight back? Can you see me, Sammy?" he gasped.

"No" Sammy sadly confessed. "I'm still blind as a bat."

"Then how did you know we weren't at the hospital anymore?" Dean asked hoping his brother didn't hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Easy, I can't smell the disinfectant." Sam replied with a shrug. "And I feel rested which means I wasn't woken up every half hour by a nurse asking if I was sleeping okay."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, for all their "you need rest to heal" sermons, they sure don't let you get much of it there." He agreed. "But you don't have to worry about nurses and midnight checks anymore. You can sleep as long as you want now. We're at Bubba's cabin."

"Really? I don't remember leaving the hospital." Sammy said around a yawn.

"That's cause you slept through it." Dean told his younger brother. "You didn't even wake up when dad picked you up and brought you in here."

"D-d-dad's h-here?" Sammy questioned.

"Yeah, don't you remember?" Dean worriedly asked. "Dad and Josh took out those goons that were playing cops. He helped you through that panic attack and then stayed with you while I talked to the real police officers."

"Oh, yeah" Sam hesitantly replied, his cheeks turning a bright red as he recalled sitting in his father's lap. Not wanting to think about that or anything else connected to his hospital stay, the preteen quickly changed the subject. "What's that smell?"

"That my boy is your breakfast." Dean declared with a grin. Grabbing the full TV tray, he carefully settled it in front of his little brother. He picked up a fork and placed it in Sam's hand. "You think Bobby's a good cook, wait till you taste Bubba's cooking. The man's a master chef!"

"Better than Bobby?" Sammy skeptically said.

"You better believe it little brother." Dean adamantly stated. "Alright now, your plate's set up like a clock. At three o'clock, you have Bubba's famous breakfast casserole, at six o'clock, is an enormous biscuit smothered in your favorite white gravy, at nine o'clock you have your sausage and bacon, and at twelve is your juice." Holding the boy's hand, he guided it to the different foods as he spoke.

A dimpled smile lit up Sam's face at the thought that his brother had gone to all the trouble of fixing his breakfast so that he could eat it unaided. "Thanks Dean!" he said.

"Don't thank me. The clock thing was all dad's idea." Dean confessed.

The smile slid off his face at his brother's proclamation. "D-dad d-did this?" Sammy whispered as his head dropped to his chest.

Noticing the change in his brother's mood, Dean cocked his head to one side in confusion. He had no idea what had caused the sudden flip in emotions but he knew he needed to get to the bottom of it and fast. Not wanting to startle his blind sibling, Dean refrained from touching him to get his attention, choosing to clear his throat instead. He smirked as the younger boy's head popped up at the sound. "Sammy, what's going on in that big head of yours?" he asked, intentionally keeping his tone light.

"Nothing Dean" Sammy fibbed flashing his best fake grin. Picking up his fork, the youngster tentatively reached over, speared a tiny piece of biscuit, and popped it in his mouth. 'Can't be weak. Gotta suck it up. Show dad I'm not a burden.' Repeated over and over in his head as he slowly and silently ate his breakfast.

Dean sighed as he watched his little brother draw into himself. He bit his lip to keep from questioning him further knowing it would only make things worse. He shook his head. All he could do now was wait. Sammy would come to him when he was ready. He'd just stay close until…the creaking of the bedroom door startled Dean out of his thoughts. He glanced up as the door opened revealing his dad. _'Time for the Winchester family make up talk' _Dean thought with a smile. He was confident that they'd be one big, happy family after this. After all, what could possibly go wrong?


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- _'Time for the Winchester family make up talk' _Dean thought with a smile. He was confident that they'd be one big, happy family after this. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

John hesitantly shuffled into the room his sons were sharing. Gazing over at Dean and Sammy he froze in his tracks. The look of fear and defeat on his baby boy's face intensified the nervousness he'd been feeling since he started up the stairs to talk his youngest. John hadn't felt this way since the first time he held a newborn Sammy. The boy had been so tiny and fragile looking that the Winchester patriarch had been afraid to hold him for fear of accidently hurting him. Those fears disappeared moments after Mary placed the baby in his arms. Gazing down at the tiny bundle of joy in his arms, he knew he'd make sure no one or nothing ever harmed his son. And no one had, except for him. Frowning at that revelation, John took a good look at his baby boy. The slumped shoulders and dropped head were a testament to just how badly he had screwed up. Sammy may not be that tiny baby anymore but he was still fragile, probably more so than the day he was born. One wrong move or word from him could destroy his son. But John had no intentions of letting that happen. He was going to get his bubbly, inquisitive, question everything till the cows come home son back. He just had to remember how to be Sammy's daddy again.

Dean sighed as he eyed his dad standing silently in the middle of the room. The man had the same look on his face that Sammy had worn when he'd tried to talk to that Macy girl he'd liked at his last school. Which mean like the kid, their dad wasn't going to be the one starting the conversation. No, if Dean wanted his brother and father to talk, he was going to have to be the one to get the ball rolling. "Hey dad" he called, smirking as the fearless John Winchester jumped a foot.

Grateful for his eldest son's lead in, John smiled at his eldest. "Morning boys" he greeted, stepping closer to the bed. "I just came to see how you were doing. Sammy, you managing breakfast alright?"

"_Oh, crap! Gotta show dad I don't need Dean's help. Gotta suck it up. Be a man." _Sammy thought. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, the preteen set his fork on the tray and shakily reached for his juice. "I, I'm f-fi-fine s-sir" he stammered just as his fingers nudged the plastic cup knocking it over. Hearing the cup hit the tray and feeling a sudden wetness soaking through the sheets, the littlest Winchester panicked. "I'm, I'm so-sor-ry s-s-sir" he cried, quickly pulling his hand back.

Realizing he'd said the wrong thing again, John rushed over to the bed and dropped down beside his distraught son. "Sammy, Sammy it's okay son." he soothed, grabbing the boy's reaching hands before he made an even bigger mess. He gently wrapped his arms around his youngest and pulled him against his chest. "Easy, Sammy, easy" he whispered to the trembling teen. "It's okay. It was just an accident: could've happened to anybody. It's nothing for you to get upset about, kiddo."

"Dad's right, Sammy" Dean agreed as he moved his brother's tray onto the night stand and yanked the sheets off the bed. "It's just a little juice spill. We'll have it cleaned up in no time."

"But, I, I didn't m, I, I I'm sorry sir" Sammy apologized, head dropping to his chest.

Determined to get through to his youngest son, John took hold of the boy's chin and tilted it up until they were face to face. "You have nothing to be sorry for, son. It was an accident, plain and simple. It happens to all of us some time or another." John softly told Sammy. Using his thumb he gently brushed away the tears that were beginning to roll down his baby boy's cheeks. "I've done the same thing myself many times and so has Dean. Remember that time at Bobby's when your brother was bringing that birthday cake into the living room and tripped? Cake and frosting splattered everywhere. I thought we'd never get that mess cleaned up."

"Yeah or what about the time dad accidently knocked over that spell bowl of Bobby's and got zapped by a half done spell? We had our own dog until the spell wore off a week later." Dean recounted, grinning at the small chuckle his story elicited.

"I'd forgotten all about that one. As I recall, when I woke up back in human form, I had a bunch of pink barrettes in my hair that a certain someone had thought looked cute on his dog." John said, ruffling Sammy's hair.

"I was *yawn* three." Sammy defended, leaning back against his father's chest and closing his eyes.

"Oh, no you don't kiddo." Dean said, shaking his brother's shoulder. "Meds first, then you can sleep."

Opening his eyes to half mast, Sammy dutifully downed the pills Dean handed him with a glass of water. He then snuggled into his father's side, falling asleep in seconds.

John waited until he was sure his son wouldn't awaken before slowly and carefully sliding out from behind the boy. He pulled the blankets up to Sammy's chin and then leaned down and kissed his youngest's forehead. "Sleep well, Sammy" he whispered.

SPN

Sammy spent the majority of the next few days sleeping, waking only to eat or make a trip to the bathroom. Waking up on the fifth day at the cabin, he wasn't surprised to hear his brother snoring in the bed beside him. He might not remember much of the past few days, but he did know that every time he woke Dean or their dad or both had been at his bedside. They had talked with him, made sure he ate and took his meds, and helped him make the long trip to the bathroom and back. His dad had even helped him change after an accident in his sleep without reprimanding him for it. And the times he'd woken up screaming from nightmares about the hospital, his dad had actually held him and read to him until he had fallen back to sleep. His father, the mighty John Winchester, was acting like his dad again and frankly it was freaking him out. His dad hadn't treated him this way in years and Sammy didn't know what to make of it. Maybe he was hurt worse than the others let on? Maybe that's why his dad was…

"Sammy, what's going on in that freaky head of yours?" Dean mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I can hear you thinking from all the way over here."

Startled out of his thoughts, Sammy turned towards his big brother's voice. Eyes shining with hope, the littlest Winchester asked the question that had been on his mind since they'd arrived at the cabin. "Dean, why is dad being so nice to me?"


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Startled out of his thoughts, Sammy turned towards his big brother's voice. Eyes shining with hope, the littlest Winchester asked the question that had been on his mind since they'd arrived at the cabin. "Dean, why is dad being so nice to me?"

SPN

Dean's mouth dropped open in shock. Of all the things he'd thought his kid brother might say, that was certainly not one of them. Reeling from the unexpected question, the older Winchester opened and closed his mouth a few times before blurting out, "What? Sammy, dad's just trying to show you that he loves you. He screwed up and he knows it. He's trying to fix things with you."

"Oh" Sammy mumbled.

"Oh, that's it?" Dean asked, turning on his side to look at his little brother. Seeing the younger boy's kicked puppy expression, he sighed. Something was definitely bothering the kid and he thought he knew just what that was. "Sammy, you know dad; he speaks before he thinks most of the time. He didn't mean anything he said. He was just scared." Dean told his brother. "And I know that's no excuse. But he's our dad. He may not be perfect, but he's doing the best he can. Dad loves us, Sammy. You know that, right?"

Sammy shrugged. "Somewhere deep down, he might love me, but I don't think he likes me very much. He hasn't in a long time. I'm starting to wonder if he ever did." He softly admitted.

"Huh? What are you talking about, kiddo? How can dad love you and not like you at the same time?" Dean questioned.

"It's, it's…" Sammy stammered. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he leaned against the headboard and took a deep breath before starting again. "When we were little, I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world. My friends would talk about how their dads never had time for them; how they worked late most days and the days they did get home early, they were too tired to play. And yeah, dad was gone a lot but he always made up for it when he got back. No matter how tired he was he'd sit down and listen to us tell him about what we did while he was gone and then he'd play with us. And he did something else; something really special; he spent time with both of us together and separately. You and dad would go out and work on the car and then later he'd take me out and we'd kick the soccer ball around or sit on the porch and read or something. But then I found out what was really out there, and everything changed. It's like once I found out he didn't have to pretend anymore. The sitting down talking went first and then everything else just kinda disappeared. The only thing that stayed the same was you and dad still went out and worked on the impala every chance you got."

"Sammy"

"I used to watch you guys out the window, you know." Sammy admitted as he angrily swiped a hand across his face. "You always looked like you were having so much fun and I wished that, that I could b-be part of it."

"Sammy, you can't blame that on me and dad. You could've come out there and helped us if you'd wanted to." Dean huffed. "All you had to do was ask."

"I did! A couple of years ago!" the youngest Winchester fired back. "It was dad's birthday and you guys went outside right after breakfast. Dad was in the one of the best moods I'd seen in a long time. He was smiling and laughing and I, I wanted to be part of the fun, too. I thought it could be my birthday present to dad; thought he'd be happy I wanted to help. But when I went out and asked you guys if I could help, you and dad just laughed and said you had enough repairs to do on the impala without me helping."

"Oh, Sammy" Dean mumbled, closing his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I thought, I thought you didn't…"

"It's okay, Dean. I understand." Sammy absolved. "You and dad didn't need me out there messing things up. You and dad, you guys are two of a kind. You look a lot alike, you both like the same things, you're both naturals when it comes to hunting and any kind of sports. But me and dad, we don't have anything in common. The things I enjoy, the things that are important to me don't mean jack squat to either of you. When I started training, I tried so hard to be like you 'cause I knew that would make dad happy. But I just couldn't. I'm nothing like you guys. I really wonder if dad wasn't right when he said the hospital made a mistake. I mean, I…"

"Sammy, that's not true!" Dean growled. "You are exactly like me and dad! You are my pain in the ass little brother and dad's youngest son! Got it?"

"Are you sure? Cause I'm not seeing it, Dean. I mean, look at me. I look nothing like you or dad." Sammy pointed out. "I'm no good at fixing cars or sparring. I don't like moving every other week, or eating greasy food, or ear splitting music, or living out of the car. There's not one thing I can think of that I have in common with you guys."

"He's right, Dean." John agreed as he walked into the room surprising both boys. "Sammy's not like us."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

AN- This is not where I wanted to stop the chapter. But, I've been stuck here for the past week. And I wanted to get something out for you guys.

Previously on Supernatural- "He's right, Dean." John agreed as he walked into the room surprising both boys. "Sammy's not like us."

SPN

Dean and Sammy's jaws dropped as a stunned silence filled the small bedroom. Quickly finding his voice, Dean hollered, "What the Hell, dad?" He bolted off his bed and took up a defensive stance blocking his father from getting to his younger brother. "What are you talking about? Sammy's just like us and you know it!"

"Dean, son let me finish." John calmly said, holding his hands up in surrender. Leaning closer to his eldest he added, "It's alright, Dean. I'm not gonna hurt Sammy. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"That's what scares me." Dean muttered. Turning to look at the anxious preteen on the bed, he slowly nodded. "Okay, but if you screw this up, so help me…"

"I know" the Winchester patriarch broke in. He patted Dean's shoulder and then stepped around his son and walked over to the bed. Taking a seat beside his youngest, John loudly cleared his throat, smiling as Sammy hesitantly turned to face him. "Sammy, I wish I could say that you and I are too much alike and that's why we're always butting heads, but I won't. I'm not gonna lie to you, not about this. You are very different from me and Dean. But there's a good reason for that." John softly stated. Reaching out, he ghosted a hand down his baby boy's face and then tenderly cupped his cheek. "You see you Sammy are exactly like your mom."

"I, I am?" Sammy whispered, leaning into his father's touch.

"Absolutely, kiddo" John replied, the smile clear in his voice. "Mary loved learning just like you do. She always had to know every little detail of everything; used to drive me up a wall. Do you know when your mom found out she was pregnant with your brother one of the first things she did was go out and enroll in all these different classes; everything from parenting basics to first aid? I swear she must have signed up for six or seven different classes at once. She was bound and determined to know everything there was to know about raising a child."

"Sounds like our geek boy." Dean agreed, ruffling his younger brother's hair as he took a seat on the opposite side of the bed from his dad.

"Yes, it does. And that's not all. Mary was every bit the book worm Sammy is. In fact, I believe she had him beat." John told his sons. "Your mom read anything and everything she could get her hands on, well everything except those romance novels ladies are supposed to like. Mary said those were trash and that she wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. Everything else was fair game though. She read books on all different subjects and each one seemed to capture her attention. And she wasn't happy with just reading them; she had to have them all around her. We had so many books we could have given your Uncle Bobby a run for his money. There were bookshelves in every room of our house. There were even a couple in your nursery, Sammy."

"I h-had books?" Sammy questioned. "But I was just a baby."

"Didn't matter. Mary wanted her children to grow up surrounded by books. She said her babies were going to be intelligent, well read young men." John said, smiling as an image of his wife and boys flashed through his mind. "And you would have been if she'd had her way. Even when you guys were babies she would read to you every day sometimes two or three times in one day."

"I remember that." Dean whispered. "She used to let me pick the book she was gonna read to us."

"Yeah, and you always ran and got the same book off Sammy's shelf." John added. "And if memory serves me right, your mom caught you trying to hide that very same book under your pillow more than once."

"You tried to snitch one of my books?" Sammy curiously asked.

"Oh, come on. It was Pat the Bunny and I was four." Dean grumbled. "Besides, it was my book first."

"Y-you l-l-liked P-Pat the, the bun-ny" Sammy giggled.

"Don't be too hard on your brother, Sammy. Dean got his love of animals from his mother." John defended, fighting a chuckle of his own. "Besides, that bunny's so cute and fluffy!"

Both teens froze, staring at their dad like he'd lost his marbles.

"What? That's what Dean said every time Mary caught him trying to sneak the book out of your nursery." The Winchester patriarch explained. "She ended up buying another copy of the book for you and letting your brother have the battered old thing. He slept with it for a solid month and he only gave it up then because the old lady that babysat you two gave him this ugly a$$ed stuffed pink bunny."

"Oh man, you would remember that." Dean halfheartedly grumbled as his little brother burst into another fit of giggles. It'd been a long time since he'd seen his father and brother enjoying each other's company and there was no way he was going to ruin it for them. The older brother gave the laughing duo a few more minutes and then let out a put upon sigh. "Okay guys that's enough. You sound like a couple of school girls. Must be something else you got from mom."

"Actually, he did. It didn't take much to get Mary started and once she did, she had a hard time reigning it back in." John reminisced. "And her laughter was contagious. You couldn't help but laugh right along with her."

"Even you?" Sammy shyly asked.

"Oh yeah, trust me no one was immune to your mother's charm." John replied. "Your mother, she had a huge heart. She liked everybody. I don't think she ever met a stranger. To her people she didn't know were just friends she hadn't met yet. And Mary had a special way with people, too. It was like she automatically became friends with other people just by saying hello. I'd never seen anything like it."

"Sammy definitely got that from mom. He's had all the big bad hunters wrapped around his finger since we met'em." Dean broke in. "He even managed to get that friend of Bobby's to sit on the floor and play cars with him. I thought Bobby's eyes were gonna pop outta his head when he walked in and saw the guy."

"That's 'cause none of us had ever seen Rufus so much as crack a smile before. The guy always looked like he was a powder keg that was about to explode. You were scared to death of him." John explained.

"If he was that mean looking, why'd you leave me with him?" Sammy questioned.

"I didn't." the Winchester patriarch answered. "You were taking a nap in Bobby's room when Rufus showed up. I took Dean outside to throw the football to keep him from freaking out and left Bobby to deal with Turner. I'd just put you down so I figured you sleep for a while. I should have known better. Near as we can figure you woke up and shuffled into the living room while Bobby was in the library searching for some old tome Rufus needed. The next thing I know Bobby's calling us in and pointing to the living room. And there was Rufus sitting on the floor with you in his lap laughing. You know, for years after that he'd call Bobby and ask if "the kid" was there before he came."

"He was probably afraid Sammy would ruin his he-man image with the other hunters." Dean interjected.

"No, Bobby said Rufus actually sounded disappointed to hear Sammy wasn't there." John corrected. "That used to happen to me all the time. I couldn't go anywhere without someone asking where Mary was. There was just something special about her. Mary always lit up the room. Everybody loved her."

"That's you to a t Sammy. Even Bobby and Josh aren't their grumpy selves when you're around them." Dean said, patting his brother's shoulder. "Dad's right, kiddo. You are just like mom."

Sammy sat silently and mulled over what his father and brother had told him for a few minutes. Finally putting all the pieces together, he turned sad, sightless eyes in his father's direction. "D-d-dad?" he stammered. "Is, is that w-why y-you do-don't l-like me? C-cause I'm re-remind y-you of m-m-mom?"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. The Zax belong to the estate of Dr. Suess. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Sammy sat silently and mulled over what his father and brother had told him for a few minutes. Finally putting all the pieces together, he turned sad, sightless eyes in his father's direction. "D-d-dad?" he stammered. "Is, is that w-why y-you do-don't l-like me? C-cause I'm re-remind y-you of m-m-mom?"

SPN

"No, Sammy. Of course not. You and Dean keep Mary's memory alive. I could never hate you for that." John said, wishing not for the first time that his youngest could see the truth in his eyes.

"But, but then why are we always…"

"Butting heads?" John broke in. Wrapping an arm around his son, he tenderly pulled him into his side. "Well, you see buddy you didn't get everything from your mother. You got a few things from your old man, too. I'm afraid you got your temper and your tenacity from me. Add that to the insatiable inquisitiveness you got from your mom and the double dose of stubbornness both you boys inherited and you have your answer. You and I are like those Zax characters in that Dr. Suess book you used to love to hear; neither one of us is willing to back down and give a little. Does that make sense?"

Sammy nodded. "But" Closing his mouth, he nervously toyed with the hem of his shirt. "But what about tr-training? I'm not asking any questions then and you still get m-mad at me. You yell at me every time I mess up. I know I suck at the fighting and stuff but…"

"No, you don't son. You're a better fighter than most boys your age." John corrected. "I shouldn't be so hard on you and for that I am sorry. I tend to forget the age difference between you boys and that you haven't been training very long when we work out. I guess I just get too focused on training to think about anything else."

"But if I was better at it…"

"That has nothing to do with it, son." John told his youngest. "You are every bit as good as Dean was when he first started; maybe even a little better."

"Yeah, right" Sammy sarcastically stated.

"It's the truth, Sammy. I swear. Dean wasn't always a natural. In fact in the beginning, he was kind of a klutz." John fondly recalled. "But he went out day after day and worked as hard as he could. And little by little he started to improve. After a few years of intense training, your brother had gotten pretty good. But he still wasn't great. He didn't make that leap until…" John paused.

"Until what?" Sammy curiously asked.

John glanced over at Dean before answering. "Until he let his guard down and something almost got you." He replied. "Dean found out the hard way just how important everything I'd been teaching him was. After that, he threw himself into the training. That's when he went from being a good hunter to being a great one."

"You'll get there, too little brother." Dean confidently stated. "You'll be running rings around me and dad before you know. Just wait and see."

Sammy leaned into his father's side as he mulled over everything. He really wanted to believe his dad loved him for just being him and it sounded like he did. But he still wasn't convinced. Years of being put down and told you're not good enough made it hard to believe that the man really cared. Sammy wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but there was something he had to know first; even if he was terrified of the answer. Screwing up his courage, the littlest Winchester cleared his throat. "Umm, dad, I know you said you l-love me and all but what if, what if the hospital called and, and said they made a mistake…"

"Not gonna happen Sammy boy" Dean broke in.

"Dean, let your brother finish." John scolded, sensing this was important to his youngest.

Dean scowled but stayed quiet.

"Sammy, go ahead. What were you going to ask me, son?" John prodded when the boy didn't continue.

Sammy took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "If, if the h-hospital called and said they, they made a m-mist-ake, and your r-real s-son was l-looking for you, and he was just, just l-like Dean, w-would y-you tr-trade mmmme for, for him?"

"Never" John immediately and emphatically answered.

"Really?" Sammy whispered.

Wincing at the shocked tone in his baby boy's voice, John shook his head. "Really" he replied as he picked his son up and set him in his lap. Wrapping his arms around the preteen, he pulled him into his chest. "I wouldn't trade you for an army of perfect soldiers, Sammy. You are my son, my baby boy and I love you. Nothing and nobody will ever change that."

"D-d-dad-dy" Sam stammered as the dam broke and everything he'd held back for so long came rushing out. Wrapping his arms around his father's neck, he buried in face in John's shoulder as his emotions overwhelmed him.

"Shhh Sammy, it's alright. I'm here. Daddy's here." John assured his youngest. Tightening his grip on his son, he slowly started to rock back and forth remembering how the action had calmed a much smaller Sammy. "It's okay, baby. Everything's gonna be alright now. Daddy's got you and I'm never letting you go."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Shhh Sammy, it's alright. I'm here. Daddy's here." John assured his youngest. Tightening his grip on his son, he slowly started to rock back and forth remembering how the action had calmed a much smaller Sammy. "It's okay, baby. Everything's gonna be alright now. Daddy's got you and I'm never letting you go."

SPN

"I'll be right down, Bobby" Caleb said as the pair stopped at the top of the stairs.

Following his friend's stare, the older hunter frowned. "Leave'em alone, kid." He warned.

"I just wanna check and make sure Little Bit's alright. The little guy's been through enough trauma without his dad making it worse." Caleb replied as he crept towards the shut door.

"Give Johnny a chance, Caleb." Bobby whispered, walking up behind the younger man. "He's gonna fix things."

"That's what I'm afraid of" Caleb muttered. Making it to the door, he reached out and taking a deep breath, slowly opened it. Peering around the wooden door, the young man smiled. _"Bout time"_ he thought, backing away.

Worried by the soft sound of sobbing coming from the room, Bobby looked over Caleb's shoulder. Seeing Sammy cradled securely in John's arms as the pair slowly rocked, the salvage owner took off his tattered cap and ran a hand through his hair. "Looks like you finally did something right, Johnny" he whispered.

Realizing that they were intruding on a private moment between father and sons, the two hunters quietly shut the door and walked away.

SPN

Sammy snuggled further into his father's side. He hadn't felt this safe and loved in a very long time and he wished he could stay wrapped in his dad's arms forever but he knew that wouldn't happen. The great John Winchester rarely ever indulged in what Dean had termed "chick flick moments" but here he was right in the middle of the mother of them all. And he was enduring it for Sammy's sake. For once, his dad had dropped his mask and let his boys see just how much he loved them. Sammy knew the situation had to be making his dad uncomfortable so he reluctantly decided to put an end to the cherished moment. Sighing, the littlest Winchester slowly released the hold he had on his dad's shirt and sat up. Wiping his face on the back of his sleeve, the preteen smiled sheepishly up at his father. "I'm sorry" he mumbled.

"Son, you have nothing to be sorry for." John assured his son. "You did nothing wrong. Understand?"

"Dad's right, Sammy" Dean agreed. "You don't have anything to apologize for; well, except for maybe getting snot all over dad's shirt."

"Dean" John warned.

"I mean it's running all down…"

"Dean!" John growled.

"Got it. Shutting up now, sir" Dean replied, grinning at the sound of his little brother's giggle. _'Mission accomplished'_

Shaking his head at his eldest's antics, John lightly swatted the back of the teen's head before turning his attention back to his now smiling youngest son. "Sammy, what do you say we go downstairs and get something to eat?" the Winchester patriarch proposed. "I bet we can even talk Bubba into letting you go out long enough for us to build a snowman after we finish breakfast."

"You mean it? You're gonna help us?" Sammy questioned.

Wincing at the disbelief in the boy's voice, John nodded. "Of course, I'll help. Who do you think taught you to build snowmen anyway?"

"Dean" Sammy honestly answered.

"He's right, dad. Your snowmen always end up looking like a freezing pile of Yeti cr…"

"Dean!" John growled, sending another swat the boy's way. "I can make just as good a snowman as you, better even. And I'll prove it to you. When we go outside, you build a snowman and Sammy and I will build one. The others can judge. Then we'll see who the best builder is."

"Okay, but you better be prepared to lose." Dean teased.

"Not a chance. We're winning this one. Aren't we Sammy?" John retorted. Getting a hesitant nod from the youngster in his lap, the father smirked. "See? Sammy knows. Now come on. Let's go get breakfast. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can whip your ass." Standing, John hauled Sammy up and settled him on his hip before starting for the door.

"Daaad" Sammy whined. "Put me down! I'm too old for you to carry."

"Sorry kiddo, Bubba said you weren't to get out of bed without help." John replied, walking out the door and heading down the hall.

"But you don't have to carry me! I can walk!" Sammy protested.

"Cut me some slack, Sammy. After all, how many more chances am I gonna have to carry you like this?" John pleaded. "Pretty soon, you'll be too tall for me to pick up let alone carry. Give your old man a break. Let me tote you just this once, for old times' sake, okay buddy?"

"Fine" Sammy sighed. "But you've gotta promise to put me down before we go in the kitchen."

"I promise" John stated. "Now let's go. There's a slide at the end of the hall with our name on it."

SPN

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winners and reigning champs in the art of snowman building, Sammy and John Winchester!" the Winchester patriarch victoriously exclaimed as he walked into the cabin leading his youngest.

"I take it you lost, Dean?" Bobby asked, eyeing the smiling teenager suspiciously.

Dean kicked off his boots and hung up his jacket before answering. "Yep" he replied with a shrug.

"Alright Dean-O, let's hear it." John prodded, settling himself and Sammy on the couch. "Who's the best snowman builder now, huh?"

"Okay, okay you got me, dad." Dean conceded as he took a seat beside his younger brother. "The king of the snowmen isn't me. It's…Sammy!"

"That's…what?" John asked. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, Sammy. He's the one that came up with the idea of making your snowman into a were. And don't think I didn't notice Sammy shaping the snowballs and telling you where to put each piece." Dean pointed out. "That makes Sammy the snowman champ."

"That it does" John agreed. He ruffled his youngest son's hair. "Good job, kiddo"

Sammy's face broke out into a dimpled grin. "Thanks, dad" he said, beaming at that little bit of praise. "But I can't take all the credit. You helped."

"Yeah, he did help a little." Caleb broke in. "Guess you could say he was kind of your sidekick, the Robin to your Batman."

"Robin?" Sammy snickered. "Does th-that mean dad h-has to wear t-tights?"

"Ewww, Sammy! That's one picture I didn't need!" Dean protested. "Man, I'm never gonna get that image outta my head now!"

"I can tell you a worse one, Dean." Jim jumped in. "How about the time you got into Mrs. Fredrick's closet and found her box of…"

"Jim! You promised never to bring that up!" Dean shouted, turning red as a beet.

"Now that's one story I'd love to hear." Bubba said from his spot by the fireplace.

"Well tough, 'cause Pastor Jim swore he'd never tell and he can't break his promise. He's a priest." Dean huffed, crossing his arms.

"I'm afraid Dean's right. I did promise never to speak of the incident." Jim agreed. Leaning closer to the doctor, he loudly added, "However, I didn't say anything about pictures."

"You took pictures?" Dean gasped.

"You don't remember?" Jim innocently asked. "You were more than happy to pose for them."

"But, but, I was…"

"A sight, I know" Jim teased. "I never thought I'd live to see the day the mighty Dean Winchester would…"

The pastor was suddenly drowned out as the littlest Winchester's giggles switched to a hacking cough. As the coughing worsened, Sammy wrapped an arm around his sore side and leaned into his father.

"Easy Sammy, it's alright. Just get it all out." John murmured as he gently rubbed his son's back. "That's it. You're doing good."

By the time the coughing spell finally ended Sammy was exhausted. Dropping his head on his dad's chest, he closed his eyes for a moment. "Don't" he rasped before clearing his throat, "don't make me laugh."

"Here, drink some water. It'll help." Bubba instructed, putting a filled glass in the preteen's hand.

The littlest Winchester took a couple of small sips and handed the glass back to the doctor. "Thanks" he rasped.

"Anytime sport" Bubba replied.

"Okay, now that our little torture Dean fest is over, what do you say we watch a movie?" Caleb began as he walked over to the entertainment center taking up the opposite wall. Opening a cabinet door, he grinned. "Bubba's got a ton of good videos to choose from. Look! He even has Indiana Jones!" Holding up the classic movie, the hunter turned, grimacing as he looked at Sammy. "You know on second thought, I'm not really in the mood to sit and watch some old movie. Why don't we, ummm…"

"It's okay Caleb. We can watch Indiana Jones. I don't mind." Sammy interrupted.

"You sure, runt? Cause we can do something else" Caleb offered.

"Nah, a movie's good." Sammy assured the older hunter.

"Okay, a movie it is!" Caleb agreed. He pulled the tape out of its box and stuck it in the VCR. Grabbing the remote, he walked backwards to the couch and sat down on one arm.

Smiling as the opening music started to play, Sammy snuggled contently into his father's side and closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.

SPN

Sammy slowly awoke, frowning as he realized that he was now lying down with his head on someone's lap. Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times before breaking into a dimpled grin. "Nice moustache, dad" he snickered.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.

AN- Yea! We finally made it to the end. It only took me a little over two Christmases to finish this very special gift. Vonnie and Jean, you are two of the best friends a girl could ever have! You deserve so much more than a little story! I wish you two all the best! And a belated Merry Christmas!

Previously on Supernatural- Sammy slowly awoke, frowning as he realized that he was now lying down with his head on someone's lap. Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times before breaking into a dimpled grin. "Nice moustache, dad" he snickered.

SPN

"Moustache? Sammy what do you…" John broke off with a gasp as the meaning of his son's words hit him. "Wait, you, you can see?" Seeing his son nod, the Winchester patriarch broke into a grin. He immediately wrapped his arms around his youngest, hugging him fiercely.

"Thank the Lord" Pastor Jim whispered, smiling as John released Sammy who then launched himself into his big brother's open arms.

"I told you Sammy! I told you it'd be alright!" Dean crowed. He ruffled the younger boy's hair before reluctantly breaking the hugfest. "It's just too bad the first thing you had to see was dad's ugly mug."

"Oh, I don't know, Dean." Caleb remarked, eyeing the small family. "I think Johnny boy's face was the perfect first image for the kid, especially with that old timer moustache he's got going on."

Looking over at his father, Dean snickered. "Yeah, that frothy, white thing sure is a sight."

"Old timer? Frothy white? What are you talking about?" John asked, glancing from Dean to Caleb. Reaching up, he scrubbed at his face with one hand. "What the…" he started, filling the wetness above his upper lip. Quickly deducing what the substance was, he glared at the other hunters. "Care to tell me why none of you thought to mention that I had whipped cream on my face?"

"Probably cause none of us noticed." Josh replied.

"Didn't notice?" John incredulously repeated. "How could you not notice?"

"Johnny, I know you think you're all that, but I've got news for you. You ain't." Bobby teased.

"Lunch is served!" Bubba announced as he entered the room. Seeing the amused expressions on the hunters' faces and the eldest Winchester trying hard and failing to look ticked off, the doctor frowned. "Did I miss something?"

All eyes turned to the young boy on the couch. Gazing over at their host, Sammy grinned. "Hey Bubba! You look just like I pictured you."

"You can see?" Bubba gasped as a smile spread across his face. "That's wonderful, champ! This calls for a celebration!"

A loud rumbling noise suddenly sounded from the couch making the older men grin.

"Guess that celebration will have to wait till after we eat." Josh chuckled, winking at a red faced Sammy.

"Yes! Food! Finally!" Dean crowed as he stood pulling his brother up with him.

The group quickly filed out of the room. They made their way to the large dining room and took their places at the antique wooden table. After Pastor Jim said grace, the men and boys started loading their plates with chicken, potatoes, beans, and casserole. They talked and laughed as they ate, all of them silently thanking God for restoring Sammy's sight. Once lunch was over, everyone pitched in to clear the table, put up the leftovers, and wash the dirty dishes.

Putting the last dish in the cabinet, Bubba turned to the others, eyes twinkling. "Now for the surprise!" he excitedly said. "Dean, Sammy close your eyes and don't open them till we tell you to, okay?"

"You're kidding, right?" Dean asked.

"No, he's not." John answered, placing his hands on his sons' shoulders. Seeing Dean's suspicious look, he gave the boy's shoulder a light squeeze. "Just go with it, Dean. I promise you'll like the surprise."

"Come on Dean. Close your eyes." Sammy pleaded. "I wanna know what the surprise is."

"Fine, but if anything happens, it's on you." Dean caved. Closing his eyes, he allowed his dad to lead him out of the room and down a short hallway. He heard doors slide open before he was shuffled into another room where they stopped.

"Alright boys, you can open your eyes now." Jim advised.

Sammy's eyes popped open and then widened as they took in the sight in front of them. An enormous Christmas tree stood beside a fireplace. Decorations hung from every limb and lights surrounded the tree and the mantle above the fireplace. But what really shocked the preteen was the pile of presents lying under the tree. The littlest Winchester had never seen so many presents before in his life.

"Merry Christmas boys" John softly called.

"This, this is for us?" Sammy asked, thinking this had to be a joke.

John nodded. "Yeah buddy, this is all for you."

Seeing the boys just standing there with their mouths hanging open, Bobby rolled his eyes. "Well, what are you two waiting for? Get to it!" he ordered.

Dean and Sammy exchanged amazed glances before dashing across the room and dropping to their knees in front of the tree. Snatching up presents with their names on them, the Winchester brothers swiftly tore into them.

The older hunters watched in amusement as the boys quickly ripped into package after package. The two looked more like excited five year olds than teenagers as they tore open present after present. As the men watched the scene before them they each made a promise to themselves to make sure the brothers had days to relax and just be a kid in the future.

Sammy carefully tore the paper off his last present. Pulling out the brightly colored box, the twelve year old stared in shock at the magic kit in his hands.

"I saw that in a store a couple of months ago and thought you might like it." John softly stated as he knelt down beside his youngest. "I know you probably get tired of reading your books while we're on the road and I thought this would be something you'd enjoy working on while we travel."

"Thanks dad" Sammy said. Putting down his present, he wrapped his arms around his dad. "I love you."

"I love you, too buddy" John whispered, hugging the boy back.

Reluctantly breaking the hug minutes later, Sammy started picking up the discarded pieces of wrapping paper.

"Not so fast, champ" Bubba called. "You boys each have one more present to open." Walking over, he handed each boy a heavy, wrapped package.

"Thanks Bubba" the brothers said. They slowly pulled off the paper, revealing two ornately carved wooden boxes.

"Sammy glanced from Dean to his present and back. "You go first." He suggested.

Nodding, Dean took a deep breath and opened the box. Gasping, he carefully picked up the ivory handled Bowie knife. He scanned the twelve inch blade and the handle with the carved howling wolf on it for a moment and then turned to the doctor. "This, this is too much. I can't accept this, man." He told Bubba.

"You can and you will. That knife belonged to my dad. He was a hunter, too. He had to retire after a botched hunt left him paralyzed from the waist down." Bubba paused. "He umm, he passed his favorite tools of the trade to me and made me promise to hand them down to my own s-sons." He explained. "I thought I'd never get the chance to pass on his legacy after the car a-accident but then I met you two. You boys have made this old man very happy. You accepted me into your little family and reminded me of what it's like to have children. You may not be my real boys but you've definitely become family. I'm honored to pass these down to you boys."

"Thank you Bubba" Dean managed to get out around the lump in his throat.

"You're welcome son" Bubba replied, giving the boy a smile. Turning to the younger boy, he nodded towards the still unopened box. "You're probably a little young for those but they'll be the perfect weapon for you when you're older."

Intrigued, Sammy carefully opened the ornate box. Reaching inside, he gently pulled out one of the two curved blades. "This is awesome! Thanks Bubba!" he exclaimed. Placing the blade back in the box, he rushed over to the doctor and threw his arms around the man's waist.

"You're welcome, champ." Bubba quietly said, patting the boy's back. "You're welcome"

SPN

Sammy tossed his duffle into the trunk of the impala and stood looking at the cabin that had been his home for the last three weeks. His time there felt more like a dream than reality. For once there had been no talk of hunting or monsters. There hadn't even been any training or weapon cleaning. No, for a precious few weeks, the Winchesters and their extended family had been normal. They'd watched movies, had snow ball fights, and played games. In fact the only time hunting had even been mentioned was when they had played the Trivial Pursuit hunter's edition that Caleb had made up.

Sighing, Sammy stared at the cabin and the many snow creatures in front of it. He wanted to memorize every last detail of the place so when things between him and his dad got bad again, he'd have some good memories to fall back on. And things would get bad again. He had no doubt of that. Sure his dad was going out of his way to put his sons first. But Sammy knew it wouldn't be long before his father would get drawn back into the hunt. And then his boys would be the last things on his mind. But there was one difference. Sammy now knew for sure that his dad really loved him and no matter how rough things got, he was never going to forget that. And he also knew if it ever got to be too much, he had an extended family that was more than willing to take him and Dean in. While Sammy hoped it never got to that point, it was nice to know they had family to go to if needs be. Someone calling his name drew the preteen out of his thoughts. "What'd you say?" he asked his older brother who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"I asked if you were ready to go." Dean repeated, looking at the younger boy in concern. "You okay, Sammy?"

Sammy glanced at the cabin before turning his focus back to his big brother. "Yeah, yeah, I'm great." He replied, giving Dean a dimpled grin.

"Let's go boys!" John called from the front of the Chevy. "We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"Coming, dad" Dean hollered back not taking his eyes off his younger sibling. "You sure you're alright, kiddo. Cause if you're not, we can always…"

"I'm fine, Dean" Sammy interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Quit being a drama queen."

"Me? A drama queen? Not a chance. That title is all yours, shrimp." Dean teased.

"Nuh uh" Sammy fired back, playing pushing the other boy. "I am not a drama queen."

"Whatever you say, Sammy boy. Whatever you say" Dean chuckled as he grabbed the small boy. He swiftly put the struggling preteen in a headlock and messed up Sammy's chestnut hair.

"Stop it, Dean!" Sammy huffed, breaking the older boy's hold. He reached up and smoothed his hair back down, scowling at his big brother. That scowl suddenly changed to a smirk.

"Sammy, what are you up to?" Dean warily asked.

"Me? Nothing" Sam innocently replied, laughing as his older brother was pelted with snowballs. "Dad and Caleb are the ones you should be worried about."

"Now, you tell me." Dean muttered, wiping the snow off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Reaching down, he picked up a handful of snow. Forming it into a ball, he glanced over at his little brother. "You in?" he asked, cutting his eyes towards the two grinning men behind them.

"You bet!" Sammy agreed making a snowball of his own. "On three?"

Nodding Dean whispered, "One, two, THREE!" The Winchester brothers turned as one, throwing their weapons with deadly accuracy. Hearing the men yelp, the boys glanced at each other before taking off running. Rounding the car, they ducked down and hurriedly built more ammo. Once they had a large pile, the teens listened for their opponents. Zeroing in on the enemy, they silently counted to three and then stood and let the snow ball fly. The Great Snow Ball War had begun.

Half an hour later, the four warriors sitting on the steps of the cabin, catching their breath. "I can't believe the little brats beat us." Caleb muttered, trying to hide his grin.

"Yeah, well if you weren't so slow, we'd have whipped their asses." John grumbled.

"Me? You're the one that tripped over your own feet and landed face first in the snow!" Caleb pointed out. "This loss is all on you, Johnny."

"Well, I demand a rematch." John announced, looking over at his smirking boys. "Next weekend at Pastor Jim's. Same teams. What do you say, boys?"

"I say get ready to get your ass handed to you again, old man." Dean cockily stated.

"Dean's right, daddy. You guys don't have a chance." Sammy added between giggles.

"We'll just see about that." John fired back. Standing, he walked over to his sons, picked up his youngest, and tossed him over his shoulder. Reaching up with his free hand, he tickled the boy's side, grinning at the shriek his action elicited. "Come on, kiddo. Time to go." He said as he headed for the impala. The Winchester patriarch walked around to the passenger and opened the door, carefully depositing his Sammy in the shotgun seat much to Dean's chagrin.

Seeing the expression on his brother's face at the prospect of riding shotgun, Dean smiled. He had no intentions of wiping that look off the kid's face even if it meant a long ride in the crapped back seat. Still, he knew both his dad and his brother were waiting for his protest and he wasn't about to disappoint them. "Wait a minute, dad! That's my spot!" Dean half-heartedly argued.

"Sorry Deano, you snooze, you lose." John teased as he rounded the Chevy and climbed in the driver's seat.

"Awww man! That's not fair!" Dean grumbled, hiding his grin behind his hand when Sammy started to giggle. Opening the back door, he dramatically dropped onto the bench seat, making a show of stretching his long legs across the seat.

Rolling his eyes at his eldest's antics, John waved at Caleb before starting the impala and steering it down the long driveway. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he caught Dean's eye, giving him a knowing wink. Looking at his youngest out of the corner of his eye, he wasn't surprised to see Sammy already nodding off. He stopped at the end of the driveway long enough to reach over and gently lay his son down so the boy's head was resting on his leg. Taking the blanket Dean handed him, he tucked it around his sleeping baby boy. He brushed a stray bit of bang out of Sammy's face, smiling as the preteen snuggled into him. "Night Sammy" he whispered, turning his attention back to the road. John took a left onto the highway and settled back for the long drive ahead. His family was complete once more and he'd be damned if he'd let anyone or anything ever split them up again. From now on it was the Winchesters against the world!

The End


End file.
